


Beyond the Stars

by owlaholic68



Series: French Space AU [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Space, Canon-Typical Violence, Class Issues, F/F, Gen, M/M, Mild Language, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Spaceships, Steampunk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-03-05 07:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13383171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlaholic68/pseuds/owlaholic68
Summary: Year 3012: The crew of the spaceship "Lucky" has one mission: explore deep space.Year 1786: The French Revolution is stopped before it can begin. For the next 1226 years, the monarchy reigns in France, and then in the world. And then in the galaxy.But everything must have an end.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Au-delà des étoiles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13383126) by [owlaholic68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlaholic68/pseuds/owlaholic68). 



It’s her first day aboard  _ Lucky _ , and Lynn already hates the captain. Of course, he’s not the  _ captain _ . She straightens her back, one hand on the back of the throne. No, her  _ king _ will not find fault with her today nor any other.

“Are we close to star XT-35?” The king asks the pilot. The man sitting on his throne is relaxed, his elbow on the armest. He’s wearing a long red cape that cascades over his back. 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the pilot answers. On the large screen there is an immense red star.

“Good, good,” the king waves his hand. “We’ll collect data for an hour, then we’ll leave. There’s a station around the Henry Nebula who needs our assistance. A medical emergency, or some other little problem…” 

Privately, Lynn thinks that a medical emergency isn’t a  _ little  _ problem, but she doesn’t say anything. Already, the blase attitude of the king annoys her. He’s the model of morale on the ship. And with a vessel so small (several dozen people), Lynn guesses that the moral is a  little...low.

“Really, we don’t do much, Princess,” the king addresses Lynn, “stars, nebulas, sometimes we find a planet, but in this region of space, it can be a bit boring. But we have a card night every Thursday, you should find it fun. Well,” he reads a message on his tablet, “our docteur requests your presence. We’ll talk later about the duties you’ll perform. You know how to get to the infirmary, do you not?”

Lynn nods. “Yes, of course, Your Majesty. I’ve studied the schematics of  _ Lucky _ .” She shallowly curtsies to the king, as befits her rank, and she leaves the bridge.

* * *

When she passes other crew members, she nods at them. They bow deeply to her, making her blush. She hides her face behind her fan. Lynn isn’t yet used to this level of formality, having received her titles several months earlier. 

Contrary to most of the nobility, she was born bourgeois. But after saving the Emperor of the Earth’s life, she was given the title of “Princess” and a spot on a ship. The  _ Lucky _ is a small spaceship that is charged with exploring deep space.

Five floors, with all of the necessary amenities: luxurious quarters, a dining hall with many chefs, a gymnasium, a garden, and several sitting rooms for amusement. There is also an electric harpsichord and a string quartet. Of course, some of these services are only available for the nobility of the ship, which Lynn finds a little uncomfortable. How can you have a unified team if you insist upon keeping strict ideas of rank? But it’s not her place to critique or change things, so she tries to forget about the question for now. She has other things to worry about. 

She arrives at the infirmary, a very clean room. There is a row of beds against a wall, and several tables with tools and diagnostic machines against the other. When Lynn enters, she doesn’t see anyone, but soon a woman comes out of an office. 

“Good day, Madame,” she says. “You are the new Princess, right? Welcome aboard our humble vessel.” 

Lynn admires her hairdo. This woman is dressed all in white, wearing a dress much less voluminous than her own. She also wears an apron with several pockets that contain medical instruments.

“Good day,” she responds. “Our Sire told me to come down here for probably a medical examination, I’m guessing.”

“Yes, come with me,” the woman says. “I am Madame la Duchesse Julie de Farkas. But you can call me Julie in private,” she says with a smile. 

Lynn sits on an exam bed. “Alright, Julie. And you may call me Lynn. We don’t really need such formality between us.” 

Julie has her remove her hoop skirt. Lynn is wearing an opulent dress befitting her rank. Her clothing, despite their volume, are very well made: the fabric is resistant to water, fire, and many types of weaponry. What’s more, her hoop skirt can be very easily detached, and it is flexible and light. Today, she wears a red and black dress. She’s also wearing a black sash that represents her status as a crew member.

“Alright, is everything going well for you?” Julie asks, pressing two fingers under Lynn’s chin, listening to her pulse. 

“Yes, but I have a bit of trouble adjusting to the rhythm of outer space,” Lynn admits. Julie’s fingers are warm and soft, and Lynn shivers. Julie’s fingers trace the curve of her neck, dipping under the neckline of her dress for an instant. Then Julie is all professional, noting some numbers on a tablet with an aluminum quill. 

“Tell me if you have problems sleeping after a few days,” she says. “The discomfort of a spatial life should soon disappear.” 

Julie examines her body and her breathing, and declares her to be in good health. But Lynn thinks that she takes a little more time touching her than is  _ strictly  _ necessary. Her forearm, behind her knee, the nape of her neck. Finally, her not-totally-medical examination is done.

When she gets dressed again, a message appears on her personal tablet. It is written in the king’s elegant script:  _ It is not necessary to return to the bridge today. Take some time to meet the members of the crew. Attached is a list of key officers.  _ There is a list of five or six people with their titles and their locations on the ship.

Lynn reads the list: Julie, of course, then an engineer, a security chief, a communication and language officer, and an entertainment officer. Lynn frowns. “Do we not have a science officer?” She asks Julie. “For this type of vessel, that seems a little odd.” 

“Yes, we have one, of a sort,” Julie answers. “It’s a complicated affair. We have someone who takes care of those responsibilities, but he’s not an officer. Unfortunately, he has no rank. Normally, obviously, that wouldn’t cause a problem. Just give him a small title, and there you go. Our Sire can easily do it, but he doesn’t.” She sighs. “There are also other crew members who deserve one, but our Sire has very old-fashioned ideas about rank.”

Lynn nods. “Well, I want to meet this individual anyways. Where can I find him?” Julie gives her directions to the laboratory, and Lynn says goodbye to her. 

* * *

But before she gets to the laboratory, an explosion rocks the ship. Klaxons start to wail. Lynn finds herself alone in a hallway. 

“Attention: We are being attacked by pirates. They are trying to board us. Red Alert.” 

Red Alert: that means that these pirates are better equipped than normal, and that they could do some damage. Lynn starts walking towards the central elevator. She draws her saber from its scabbard. It is a very elegant sword with a silver hilt, and the blade is sharp enough to cut through metal, or even the skin of the ferocious Grenuches of the Sade system. A very useful weapon. Lynn also has a pistol, a new laser type.

The hallway is empty, but when Lynn presses the button for the elevator, nothing happens. There is no  _ ding _ , no light that illuminates. She hears no sound. Either the elevator has been broken by the pirates, or it has been deactivated for security reasons.

Well, there were emergency stairways. And she had studied the ship’s schematics very well. It won’t be a problem for her to get to the Bridge level.

Lynn crouches and grabs the door of a utility vent. She crawls through the vent until she gets to an intersection. Then she hikes up her skirt and climbs up a ladder. Then another vent, another ladder. Finally, she is behind a vent door that opens onto a hallway next to the bridge.

There are combat sounds: cries, metallic hisses, and stomping feet. Lynn doesn’t hesitate to kick open the door and burst out into the hallway.

It’s a scene of chaos. There are three people who are wearing  _ Lucky _ crew uniforms, two of which are standing. The other is sitting on the ground, back against a wall, blood pooling in his stomach. But he’s still alive. The two other crew members are facing Lynn, and there are three pirates who have their backs to her.

She takes them by surprise, swinging her saber. With a loud yell, she cuts two of their heads off. The other pirate, shocked by the attack, is frozen in fear. She looks at Lynn with terror in her eyes when the two heads fall to the floor.

“I have her!” A crew woman yells, and a laser ball hits the pirate’s head, which explodes.

“Good work,” Lynn says, grimacing when some of the blood touches her boots. She doesn’t like killing, but in this case, it was a matter of defending herself and her crew. “Let’s take your friend to the infirmary, come on.” She helps the young woman who had killed the pirate construct a portable stretcher.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting,” Lynn says as they make their way to the infirmary.

“No,” the woman says. She is very pale with apple-green eyes, and under her hat, Lynn can’t see any hair. “Knight Christine, chief of security, nice to meet you. And you’re Madame Princess Lynn, are you not?

“Yes,” Lynn says when they arrive at the infirmary and give the injured man to Julie. “I look forward to working with you.” 

The klaxons stop shrieking.

“Good work, everyone. Return to your habitual activities. Thank you for your attention.” 

Knight Christine returns to her security office to direct clean-up of the ship. 

Lynn remembers her current task. Meet the officers: not very difficult, right? 


	2. Chapter 2

The Level 5 laboratory is small, tucked into a corner. The room, when Lynn enters, is cluttered. Books, scientific instruments, glass lenses of varying sizes, and several hundred tablets and quills on every empty surface. 

Also, if Lynn hadn’t double-checked the plaque that said  _ Laboratory Number 4 _ , she would have thought that this was a garden. There are organized lines of plants: cactus, flowers, even some small trees that almost touch the ceiling.

There is too much in the room to see anyone. Could anyone even get into the chamber? 

“Hello?” Lynn says, hesitant. Did she have the right room? “Mister Gannon?”

“Yes, one moment please,” someone responds. After a minute, a tall blond man extracts himself from the mess. Like Madame Julie, he’s dressed all in white, except for his jacket, which is beige. His vest and his culottes are less ornamented than Julie’s clothing, denoting his lower rank. He also wears a pair of delicate glasses that resemble Lynn’s, through which she can see his sea-blue eyes.

“Hello,” Lynn repeats, “you are Mister Gannon who is in charge of scientific matters, right?” 

He bows to her. “Yes, Madame Princess-” 

“Oh, stop that,” Lynn sighs, “I’ve had enough of all of this formality. And call me Lynn in private, Madame Lynn if necessary.” She rubs her temples. “On a vessel so small, this needlessly strict division will only cause problems.

“I’m glad that  _ someone  _ understands,” Mister Gannon says. “And if we’re dropping formalities, please call me Arcade. ‘Mister Gannon’ is my father.”

Lynn smiles. “Julie told me that you’re the scientific expert here, but that you’re not an officer. What exactly is your role here?”

Arcade pulls out a chair for her. He sits on an empty spot on a table. “Officially, I’m Julie’s medical assistant. Really, though, there’s no one aboard  _ Lucky  _ who has the knowledge necessary to be a science officer. Except for me, of course.”

“But Sire prefers to have a lacking team than to give you a more befitting rang, that’s the problem?” Lynn asks. “That doesn’t seem logical to me.” 

“Sire is a man who rarely acts in a  _ logical  _ fashion,” Arcade comments. “Thankfully, we’ve got you now. And he can’t simply ask for a replacement officer for the ship, because the Emperor will tell him that he has a much simpler solution on hand: me. Therefore, the position is empty for the moment.”

Lynn reflects on the issue. She’s not quite sure that she can change something so big right now. She doesn’t have enough power on the ship to even try. But if she needs scientific information, she’ll ask Arcade. In her eyes, he  _ is  _ the science officer.

“Well, thank you,” she says, standing up. “But I must leave you now. I need to speak to the engineer.” 

Arcade snorts. “Good luck. But a word of advice: if he starts frustrating you, find Madame Veronica. She can be found near the engines. Short, cropped hair, a little grimy. She’s in more or less the same situation as I am.”

“Thank you for the information,” Lynn says. She wonders what the engineer could be like.

* * *

She gets her answer when dinner arrives. The dining hall is intimately small. Through the windows, a small yellow star warms the room. The king is seated at the head of the table, Lynn on his right. Her neighbor is a man who wears a pair of tinted glasses. 

“Good evening,” she says.

“Yes, good evening,” he responds. “You’re our new person, right? Of course, my reputation precedes me. The entire universe knows of Mister Fantastic, Count of Colorado, and his intelligence!”

Lynn gives him a forced smile. “Yes, nice to meet you. Are you the engineer?”

“Ah, of course, the best of the galaxy,” Fantastic brags.

She nods, unsure. “Well, talk to me about this vessel’s engines. I’ve heard that they’re a new type, capable of an impressive speed.”

“Yes, the engines,” Fantastic says, twisting his hands, “good engines. Very fast. Very noisy,  _ too  _ noisy, if you ask me. But all that noise, that’s good. That means that the engines are good.”

Lynn takes a moment to revel in her shock. This man, who is in charge of all machines on the ship, knows  _ nothing  _ about engineering? All of a sudden, she understands the advice that Arcade had given her. “Ah, well, let’s talk about something else. It’s bad taste to speak of serious subjects at the table.”

She notices that Julie is sitting across from her. She gives her a pleading smile. It’s only the first day, and Lynn’s not sure if she can handle her company for long.

Dishes are served. Half of the ingredients are grown in the botanical garden, and the rest are created from chemicals that are taken from outer space and from planets. The result is a tasteless menu for Lynn, who is used to more flavorful dishes.

Homesickness tugs at her heart. Everything is new, everything is so far away. The Earth is a dozen light years from her.

“Excuse me,” she says, standing up from the table. She hides her face behind her fan. In her haste to leave the room, she exits through the server's’ door. The kitchen is bustling, chefs and servers running back and forth. 

Lynn finds an unoccupied wall to lean against. She fans herself. It’s easy to be optimistic when you’re at home, but in a brand-new situation like her own, with little friends and lots of strangers? She hopes that she’ll find happiness here, but she’s not sure.

“Are you lost, my little girl?” an old woman approaches her.

“No, thank you,” Lynn responds. But this woman is not so easily fooled. 

“Oh, tell Grandma your problems,” she says. “You’re new here, right?”

Lynn nods. A chef sees them together and yells, “Hey, Lily, stop bothering her!”

“She’s not bothering me, I promise,” Lynn says. Honestly, this ‘Lily’ is kind, and she’s not had much kindness today. “Lily, are you a chef here?”

“Oh, no,” Lily says. “I’m only an assistant. But if you want something small, I can do that for you, my child.”

Immediately, Lynn thinks of her favorite thing. “Do you have any tea? I’m sick of wine.”

“Yes, of course my little one! Here, we have a lot. Which kind do you want? Don’t be shy, now.”

Lynn chooses a green tea, adding some mint leaves to it. She finds a peaceful corner of the kitchen and chats with Lily. This old woman is very interesting, having travelled all around the galaxy. But with her mental illness, which makes it difficult for her to remember things, she had decided to join a ship’s crew for the long run.

“Thank you for the tea,” Lynn says, “but it’s time for me to retire. It won’t bother you if I visit sometimes?”

“Oh no, of course not,” Lily answers. She gives Lynn some candy, with a promise to give her more later (“too much sugar isn’t good for children!” she had said). 

Lynn returns to her room for the night. With her rank, she has a large room with a luxuriously soft bed and a robo-hairdresser that could create any hairstyle in the galaxy within minutes. 

She takes her time relaxing in a bath. She can only take one twice per week, but it’s a luxury she appreciates tonight. The other days, there is a waterless shower, which has the advantage of not drying out her hair. 

The hot water of the bath almost makes her fall asleep. It’s been a long day, and she’ll have another long one tomorrow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Such a fun fic to write! Look forward to some more plot and intrigue next chapter!
> 
> Also, the aesthetic of using tablets and "feather" quills is such a GOOD aesthetic for me. Also, because the hairstyles of the 17th century french court were so complicated, they were really committed to keeping that look going. Hence, the robo-hairstylist. I have some very specific cool ideas for Lynn's hair based off of modern natural updos. I might post them on my [Tumblr.](https://owlaholic68.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

“ _Lucky_ , this is Station Selmer of the Henry nebula. Please declare your intentions.”

“Station Selmer, _Lucky_ is responding to your message stating a medical emergency.”

A pause. “ _Lucky_ , we have no emergency here. Please wait a moment.”

Lynn frowns. Their ship had definitely received an emergency message from this station. Lynn is standing next to the throne on the bridge. One of her responsibilities was communication with other people and other vessels.

“ _Lucky_ , please approach the station. Someone will inform you of the situation when you disembark. Thank you and have a nice day.”

Lynn is waiting at the airlock to the deep-space station. An officer explains the situation to her:

“We didn’t send you anything,” the officer says. “I don’t know why you received an emergency transmission from us, but I assure you that we have no trace of that message. You are welcome to complete any necessary repairs or exchanges here, but we have no need of aid.”

After discussing the situation with the king, _Lucky_ stays for a day to obtain necessary replacement parts.

Two days after their depart from the station. Lynn is in her chamber during a break period. It is two fifty-eight in the afternoon. Fifty-nine. And then it is three o-

An explosion rocks the vessel. Lynn almost falls from her chair. She speaks into a broach affixed to her dress.

“Status report, now,” she orders. Since the king is currently in a break period, she takes charge of the situation.

“I have no idea what happened, Madame!” The voice of Fantastic responds. In the background, Lynn hears loud noises and the hissing of machines.

“Is anyone hurt?” She asks, already in the hallway, running towards the engine room.

“Uh, I don’t know, but the explosion definitely happened by the engines.”

Lynn’s room isn’t far from the engine room; she gets there within a minute. The immense room is chaotic: a fire in one corner, plumes of smoke in the other. But her first priority is to find any casualties, if any, and to bring them to the infirmary.

She finds a short woman leaning against a wall, coughing.

“Are you alright?” Lynn asks her, putting her hand on the woman’s arm. It’s soaked with blood. “Hey, go to the infirmary.”  

“No, it’s not serious,” she says, “I need to stay to repair-”

She faints. Lynn catches her and puts an arm under the woman’s knees. She carries her to the infirmary. In the hallway, Lynn can see that there is a lot of blood on her chest and left arm.

When she gets to the infirmary, Julie is already ready. “Here,” she points at a bed. Lynn steps back a little to give her room to work. Other crew members come, with varying degrees of injuries. Lynn helps the medical assistants to sort them by the severity of their wounds.

The door opens and Knight Christine enters, in a state of utter panic. “Where is-”

“Over there,” Julie says, pointing at the woman that Lynn had brought in. Christine takes the woman’s hand, quickly skimming her vital signs.

“Veronica,” she murmurs, so quietly that Lynn’s not even sure she heard her. Then Christine bursts into tears, covering her face with her hands. Lynn approaches her and puts an arm around her shoulders. An officer in tears isn’t great for shipwide moral. Gently, she steers her into Julie’s empty office.

“Her wounds aren’t serious,” Lynn says when they are alone. The office is homely with comfortable chairs. “Julie said that she’ll soon recover.”

Christine takes out a handkerchief and dabs at her cheeks. “Thank you. I know that, but I was so frightened when I heard the explosion…” Her face is paler than normal, and her hands slightly tremble.

“You love her,” Lynn realizes. Looking at this woman, it’s crystal clear. Christine nods. But Lynn remembers what Arcade had insinuated: that Veronica was not noble. But Christine was. “I won’t say anything to anyone,” she hastily promises. Those types of relationships were frowned upon.

“Thank you,” Christine sadly says. She places her hand on Lynn’s arm, just above her elbow. “It’s a widespread rumor anyways, but I appreciate your discretion. I-”

If _Lucky_ had a beating heart, if the vessel was a living being, it’s like that beating heart froze, an icy hand squeezing it and crushing the smallest scrap of life. The constant noise of the engines stops, and only a heavy silence remains. The electricity suddenly cuts out. Then the emergency generators activate, and the room is bathed in a weak red light.

Lynn realizes that the ship is no longer moving. She returns to the main infirmary room, followed by Christine.

On her bed, Veronica is starting to wake up. Like Arcade had described her, she is small with short brown hair in a very old-fashioned style. Her hair is pulled back by an askew kerchief. She wears men’s trousers and a woman’s blouse. The blouse is covered in blood.

“What’s happening? Why aren’t we moving?” She asks. That question alone is irrefutable proof for Lynn that she’s an expert on the ship: Veronica feels _Lucky_ ’s pulse like her own.

Christine goes to her bedside. “There was an explosion in the engine room.”

Veronica is already getting up from her bed, grimacing. Christine pushes her back down.

“But I need to repair the engines!” She protests. “You know that there’s no one on board besides me who can control the situation. I need to get back there!”

Julie comes over. “You’re still injured. You were lucky, Veronica: if your wound had been a little more to the left, you would be dead. You need to relax for one day, at least.”

“But-”

Lynn interrupts her. “Maybe we can reach a compromise. Veronica does the repairs, but I help her with the strenuous work. If her condition worsens, I’ll make sure she rests.” She speaks to Julie, her confident eyes meeting the other woman’s.

“Alright,” Julie concedes. “Here’s something for the pain just in case.”

“Thank you,” Veronica says. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

* * *

“This way, Madame,” Veronica says. They are in the ventilation behind the engines. After having spoken with several other mechanics and members of the engineering team, Veronica and Lynn had decided to seek out the root of the problem.

“You don’t have to call me ‘Madame’,” Lynn says for the third time. “I promise, ‘Lynn’ is just fine.”

Veronica removes a burnt panel. “But it seems indecent. I mean, Christine and I are one thing, but you’re someone very...different. I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Oh,” she gasps, looking under the panel.

Under the panel are the principal circuits of the engines. Or, there are _normally_ the circuits. But there’s nothing left under the panel. A pile of ashes sits at the bottom.

“What could have caused such destruction?” Lynn wonders.

Veronica thinks. Her back is against the wall of the vent shaft, her head almost touching the ceiling. “I’m not sure, but definitely not something normal. No, I have a hypothesis: this was sabotaged.”

“Sabotaged?” Lynn shivers. “But by who? And why? Did you see anyone today, someone suspicious who could have done this?’

“No, I didn’t see anyone,” Veronica says. “At three o’clock, I entered this vent to do the weekly inspection. Normally, I would have already been right here,” she indicates where they sit, “but today, I had forgotten some of my tools, so I was a little late.”

Lynn thinks that Veronica really was lucky. “Don’t tell anyone about this,” she orders. “Let me investigate this affair discreetly. If anyone asks us, we’ll tell them that it was an accident. Come on now, let’s get to work. We need to repair the ship, and fast.”

* * *

A exactly 8 P.M, Lynn’s brooch lights up: someone wishes to speak with her. She nods at Veronica to continue their work, then she scoots away a little in the vent.

“Good day,” she says.

“Good _evening_ , Madame Lynn,” the king says. “Where are you? It’s time for dinner.

She checks the time. “I am sorry, Sire, but I am currently working on the engines.” Her stomach grumbles. “If someone could bring me some food, I would be thankful.”

Lynn can hear the king’s scowl. “It is _very_ important that you attend the officer’s dinner.”

It’s an order, well disguised as a request. Lynn weighs the consequences of refusing him. “I am very sorry, Your Majesty, but it is also very important that this vessel continues to fonction. We cannot live without electricity for long.”

He audibly grits his teeth. “Very well. Go back to your work. I will have somebody send down a dish.” He hangs up.

Ten minutes later, there’s a knock at the door of the vent. Lynn opens it and sees a familiar and kind face.

“Oh, Lily, thank you very much,” she says. The old woman from the kitchen gives her two covered dishes.

“Someone says that my little one hadn’t eaten her dinner,” Lily says. “But they also told me that you are working very hard. So Grandma brought you a very nutritious meal. Eat up, my child. And I brought something for your friend too.”

Lynn wonders how Lily knew that she was with Veronica. She hugs the old woman before returning into the vent, two dishes in her hands.

They take a break to eat. The vent is so small that Lynn had left her voluminous hoop skirt near the entrance. They have a lamp that lights up the confined space. They are sitting shoulder to shoulder. Lynn uncovers the plates and smells a delicious odor from a rice and vegetable dish. Tucked under one of the napkins is a note.

She reads it while eating. “Lynn, I asked Lily to bring something for Veronica too. I hope that your work is going well. Be careful! Your dear friend, Julie.”

“That’s nice of her,” Veronica remarks. “Madame Julie is a reliable woman.”

They eat in silence for several minutes. Then Lynn, dying of curiosity, can’t help but ask Veronica a question.

“How do you know so much about engineering? Specialized schools are very expensive.”

Veronica seems lost in her thoughts for a second, but then she returns. “I had a mentor who taught me a lot about machines. A friend of my parents. He paid for my education and helped me find a position on a ship. I am very grateful for his generosity.” She turns to Lynn. “And how about you? How is it that a noble is so casual?”

“Oh, I was born bourgeoise,” Lynn answers. “And I didn’t have a lot of opportunities. So, I joined the army. But my parents always had grand dreams for me, so I received some education in the ways of the nobility.

It’s starting to get a little warm in the vent, and Lynn takes out her fan to cool herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Veronica, who watches her with an unreadable expression. Then the woman shakes her head and sets her empty plate on the floor.

“Well, let’s get back to work. We’re almost there now,” Veronica says. “We were lucky that we got a lot of the necessary pieces while we were at Station Selmer.”

“Hold on a second,” Lynn says. It’s as if a ray of light illuminates her thoughts. “What if it wasn’t luck? Maybe it was not just a coincidence.”

Veronica frowns. “What are you saying?”

“We receive an emergency message from Station Selmer, a false message. We arrive and then we stay for a day. The station isn’t in our normal route, but if someone creates a false message, we can get diverted there to get the necessary pièces to fix the engines.” She rubs her eyes. “The same person who created the fake message sabotaged the ship. And just in case we couldn’t fix the engines, we’re not far from the station. But why do something like this?” She sighs. “I don’t know.”

Me neither,” Veronica says. “But someone must have given the king a list of necessary parts. Maybe you could start there.”

Lynn nods. “Yes. Good idea. But for now, we have work to finish. There’ll be time for investigation later.”


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, their work is done. Veronica hits a switch, and the engines start up with a roar. After a full night of sleep and a good breakfast, Lynn writes her report of the situation

She doesn’t mention either the idea of sabotage or the odd coincidence to have received the necessary parts from Station Selmer. She doesn’t know why, but she wants to investigate this affair discreetly. 

At three o’clock in the afternoon, during her break, Lynn receives a message on her tablet. The writing is Julie’s, elegant and flowing.

> Would you like to accompany me for a promenade in the botanical garden in ten minutes?

Before she can overthink it, Lynn responds. 

> Yes, with pleasure.

The botanical garden takes up almost an entire floor of the ship. It is divided into several parts: fruits, vegetables, grains, flowers, and experimental plants. It is all arranged in an organized and chic manner. 

“Good work with the engines,” Julie says. They are walking between flower beds, arm-in-arm. Her white dress makes Lynn think of a lily hidden in a rough bush. “You are woman of many talents, Lynn.” 

The way she says her name makes Lynn blush, and she hides her dark cheeks with her fan. “Thank you. But Veronica really did most of the work, I only helped her.” 

Julie laughs. “You’re too modest. You have a good heart, Lynn. I appreciate your compassion and your enthusiasm for helping others.” 

If there’s one thing that Lynn has loved about Julie since the beginning, its her honesty. There are so few nobility who don’t disguise their words with flattery or lies. “You are too kind, Julie. But enough about me. Tell me a little bit about yourself, Julie.” She leans towards the other woman a little, smiling flirtatiously. “That’s what interests me the most.” 

“If you insist,” Julie says, smiling. They sit on a bench. The sweet smell of the flowers incircles them. “My family pushed me to get married and become an important figure at Court. But I disobeyed them, deciding instead to sign up for medical studies.” She sighs. “I wanted to help people. It’s my dream.”

Such a noble heart, Lynn thinks. Their conversations turns towards lighter subjects: science, common interests, light gossip about other crew members. Lynn learns that Julie never says anything bad about anyone. When Lynn mentions Fantastic, Julie only grimaces and changes the subject.

The ship has a clock that chimes the hour. Lynn is surprised to find that they have passed a whole hour together. 

“I must return to my work,” she says. “I hope that we can do something like this again, Julie. It was a lovely afternoon.” 

“Well then, until next time,” Julie says with a kind smile. Her hand is on Lynn’s. “Send me a message if you want to do something with me. A walk, a card game, or even having some tea. If I do it with you, it will certainly be wonderful.”

And with a wink, she leaves. 

* * *

Lynn is alone in  _ Lucky _ ’s gym. She has her saber in hand, training against holographic enemies. After several minutes, she notices that she’s being observed. She finishes her round and turns. 

“Good day, Madame,” Christine says. She is equipped like Lynn, with light clothing and a fencing foil in her hand. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” 

Lynn wipes her face with a handkerchief. “No, you’re not disturbing me at all.” She nods at the fencing foil. “You fence?”

“Yes, I learned a long time ago,” Christine answers. “Would you like to train with me? I heard that you are a trained fencer.” 

“That’s correct,” Lynn says, searching for another foil. “Alright,  _ en garde _ !” 

They train together for almost an hour. Christine is small and quick, and sometimes Lynn finds it difficult to follow her movements. But what Lynn lacks in agility, she makes up for with perception. When they finish, Christine has won two matches, Lynn the same number. 

“Good game,” Christine says, smiling wide. “It’s good to know that  _ someone  _ won’t require a personal guard on away missions.”

“And you too, it’s good to know that we have a capable chief of security,” Lynn responds. “I will never fear for my life while I have you, Christine.” 

Christine slings an arm around her shoulders. Her body is warm, the exercise bringing a flush to her cheeks. “Come on, it’s almost time for dinner.”

“Alright,” Lynn says. “How about have a rematch later, maybe tomorrow?”

She laughs. “Of course, and next time, I’ll beat you, you hear?”

* * *

_ Lucky  _ has several sitting rooms. One of them contains musical instruments: an electric harpsichord, string instruments, and woodwinds. Lynn passes the sitting room and hears music. A soft violin. Curious, she sticks her head into the room. 

She is surprised to see Veronica alone in the room. She is standing with a violin in her arms, eyes closed, a content expression on her face. Silently, Lynn enters the room and closes the door behind her. 

When Veronica finishes her song, Lynn applauds. Veronica startles, hiding the violin behind her back. 

“Madame!” She yelps. 

“Calm down,  _ Veronica _ ,” Lynn says, emphasizing the use of first names. “I didn’t know that you played violin. It’s very impressive.” 

Veronica relaxes a little. “Thank you, Lynn. But I’m only a beginner.” 

Lynn sits on the bench of the harpsichord. “But you already play so well.” 

“Oh, do you play too?” Veronica asks, cheeks red. “Play something for me, please.” 

“Alright, but I’m out of practice,” Lynn warns. She chooses a simple song, a collection of variations on a simple melody. During the third variation, she has an idea. “Here, play the core melody with me,” she suggests to Veronica.

Veronica starts playing the series of notes on her violin. She makes some mistakes at first, but by the time Lynn gets to the sixth variation, the music flows pleasantly. At the end of the piece, she’s even confidently adding some improvised ornamentations.

When the song is done, there’s a moment of silence. Lynn and Veronica look at each other, eyes full of friendship and admiration. A thought passes between them, a fleeting idea that disappears as soon as they think it.

“So, do you want to practice together again sometime?” Lynn proposes. “That was very fun.” 

“Yes,” Veronica says, putting her violin back in its case. “I had an idea to write a song for Christine, you know, for her birthday, but I would love your help.” 

“Of course,” Lynn responds. She ignores the pang of her heart when Veronica mentions Christine. It’s somehow jealousy and desire at the same time. She tries to forget about it. “How about next week, sometime in the morning?”

They decide on a time to meet up. Lynn returns to her duties, the memory of Veronica’s song resting in her thoughts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song they're playing is "Twelve variations on 'Ah, je vous dirai-je, Maman'", or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It's one of my favorite songs to play on piano, which is why I picked it! You can listen to it [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyhxeo6zLAM)
> 
> I hope you're enjoying the story so far!


	5. Chapter 5

Planet C-18, also known as “Pan”, is a planet far from the Earth. A spatial probe had discovered it, noting that there were intelligent forms of life on the surface. It also reported that almost the entire planet was covered with green life. 

_ Lucky  _ therefore has the mission to contact the inhabitants of Pan and to conduct scientific tests in order to discover new forms of life. And if possible, the ship was to draw up a preliminary treaty with the inhabitants for trade and the exchange of information. 

It was Lynn’s first away mission, and she was a little nervous. She checks her equipment before entering the shuttle that will transport the away team down to the surface. She has her saber and a small embroidered pouch that contained medical material, in case of an emergency. Since Julie was not coming with them, she was in charge of that.

Their team was well chosen for the situation. First, the king himself led the mission. Then there was his personal guard, of course, a stoic man.

“Mister Boone,” Christine addresses him, giving him a nod. Christine is accompanying them to guard the other members of the team: Lynn, Arcade, and a woman with red hair named Madame Reyes, the communications officer. Reyes is also piloting the shuttle. 

Lynn enters the shuttle and curtsies. She chooses a seat near the back. She gives a friendly nod to Arcade, who seems a little stressed. Lynn had to argue with the king to allow him to come with them, but with the reasoning that they needed someone knowledgeable in science, he had simply sighed and agreed. 

The shuttle begins its descent. One week after the chaotic events of the explosion and loss of power, Lynn is more confident in her position and her influence on the ship. But she is still a bit annoyed that she hasn’t found the saboteur yet. She hasn’t had the time to investigate more seriously, but she’s sure that she’ll find the answer. 

The planet of Pan is verdant. The shuttle sets down in an empty clearing. When Lynn disembarks, she notices that the grass is thick and soft. There are lots of large flowers under the enormous trees. 

“Mister Gannon, why is the flora so rich here?” She asks. 

Arcade takes out some scientific instruments, frowning. “I’m not sure, Madame. At first, I thought that the air had something special, but now, I’m not finding anything that could create such growth, except perhaps-”

The king sighs. “Could we continue to search for the inhabitants? We’ll have the time to discuss such  _ interesting  _ science later.” He starts walking into the encircling forest, Boone closely following. 

Christine smiles at Lynn, but it’s moreso a grimace. She lightly pats Arcade on the shoulder. Reyes, the communications officer, speeds up to catch up to them, Christine following her.

“Give me the data later,” Lynn tells Arcade. “One of our missions  _ is  _ to study the plant life, even if our Sire sometimes forgets.”

“Alright,” he says. “I’ve gotten into the habit of sending my reports directly to the kitchens or the biology team. But I can send you a copy.” 

They walk for about thirty minutes without discovering anything interesting. Arcade makes note of several plants that can be safely eaten, and Lynn has him send a list to the chefs. So far in deep space, it’s always a good idea to replenish their stock of fresh ingredients. 

Finally, they arrive at a building that looks like a temple. It is large but simple, built from a multitude of unpolished stones, as if they were placed in a very precise way to construct the structure. All of the walls are covered in vines, and tiny flowers are tucked between the stones. 

As they approach, Christine stiffens. Something moves in the temple. 

“Good day,” the king loudly says. “We come in peace.” Of course, the inhabitants wouldn’t be able to understand these words. But it’s mostly just a ceremonial phrase. 

Hesitantly, something moves again in the temple. They can see a head behind an opening that seems to be a doorframe. They hear clicking and sharp whistling sounds. 

“One moment,” Reyes says. She’s pressing buttons on a small machine in her hands. “It’s very similar to one of the ancient South African regional languages, hm, one moment…”

All of them are equipped with portable translators, small devices in their ears. After a second, they hear static, then robotic words. 

“Strangers, I don’t know what they want…” Voices say. 

“Good day!” The king repeats. The translator goes both ways, so they hear his words followed by the sounds of the other language. 

The other voices stop. Then they see a head pop out of the temple, then an entire body. “Good day,” the creature says. She is long, with seven legs, some of which seem to also be arms. She is pine green, with light grass-green eyes. When she speaks, it’s through a beak. “I am Alaine. Welcome, strangers. What is your purpose here?”

“I would like to speak to your leader,” the king says. 

Alaine seems confused. “Leader?”

“The one who makes decisions for your society,” he explains. 

“Oh,” she says, her clicking syllables hesitant while she thinks. “We have no ‘leader’. We make decisions together. There are twenty of us in this city. I could bring you to the others, if you wish.” 

The city is behind the temple, under the branches of an enormous tree. There are structures in the tree branches as well. Alaine brings them into a central building. Many other inhabitants assemble with them. 

Lynn sighs. It’s time for unending introductions, the delicate dance that is unfortunately necessary each time they meet a new civilization. She memorizes all of the names, and takes care to introduce her crew members correctly. For a second, she hesitates while introducing Arcade, who has no official title, but she quickly says: “And Mister Gannon, our expert in all things scientific.” 

Finally, they have dinner with the inhabitants. And of course, negotiation doesn’t start right away. First, they must exchange information and form a personal and cultural bond. Honestly, Lynn is already sick of diplomacy, but it is one of her most important tasks. 

Two days pass like this. Meetings with the inhabitants, tours of other cities. The king stops coming down with them after the first day: the first meeting was only a formality. After that, the work goes to Lynn. Personally, she thinks that  _ everything  _ is her work. If the king doesn’t do either diplomacy or management of the vessel, what does he even do?

But she doesn't like complaining. Not when there’s work to do.

* * *

“Tell me more about Pan’s flora, now that you’ve had some time to study it,” Lynn says. 

On the other side of the small table, Arcade stirs a drop of honey into his cup of tea. They are in his cluttered laboratory, with cups of tea and small cookies. “It’s a complex ecosystem,” he says, giving her explanations on the most interesting species and varieties.

Lynn notices that he’s very passionate about biology and science. They talk about the possibilities for using the data they had collected to help the vessel and the empire. Then their conversation turns towards one problem that Lynn has foreseen:

“I don’t think that they will want to join the empire,” she admits. Arcade frowns. Lynn explains her reasoning. “They’re too independent to become a part of such a strict society like our own. What’s more, their idea of hierarchy doesn’t align with our own.” 

“I agree. What are our options for a more...open treaty?” he asks. 

Lynn thinks. Most of the civilizations that were discovered joined the empire, becoming subordinate colonies. There were a few that were independent allies, but that was only because of their military prowess. In the eyes of the empire, the only thing that counted was military strength. And Lynn doesn’t want to see the habitants of Pan be forced into an unwanted treaty, which is the eventuality the most probable if they refuse to be subordinated. 

But the way the empire is expanding...maybe it didn’t always work. People whisper of insurrections in the colonies, small problems that are quickly forgotten. They speak of allies that no longer see any reason to stay allies, and who take violent measures that can never be attributed to them. 

She sips her tea, the fragrant herbal steam helping her think. Maybe they need a  _ different  _ type of treaty.

* * *

When Lynn proposes her plan to the king, he only shrugs his shoulders. She starts to think that his dominant emotion is just apathy. 

“You will not be obliged to follow our laws,” Lynn says. Alaine, Arcade, Christine, and her are sitting together in a cozy building. “In exchange, however, we aren’t giving you much. Protection against enemies, if you need it, but not a lot of advanced technology.” 

Alaine is pensive. “We will still exchange scientific information like we already discussed?” She’s mostly talking to Arcade, since he was the one who had spoken to them about his interest in Pan’s plant life. 

Lynn nods. “Yes. We will be sending a team in a few months to collect samples and to collaborate with you. And if our research becomes too invasive, you can re-negotiate your boundaries.” 

Arcade and Lynn had discussed this clause at great length. Lynn wasn’t sure that those who controlled diplomatic relations within the empire would be happy with such freedom. But Arcade had argued that in order to have importance, science must be free. She had reflected upon the idea: different, but exactly what the habitants of Pan would agree with. 

Alaine thinks for a minute. “I cannot speak for all of us, but I think we have an agreement.” 

Lynn is relieved. Her first diplomatic mission had been successful. 

“And now, a gift to show our appreciation,” Alaine says. This is unexpected. In three of her hands, Alaine holds a...plant. Lynn can’t say much more, with her limited knowledge of biology, particularly alien biology. 

But Arcade is happily surprised by the gift. He examines the plant. “Thank you very much,” he says. “This is a very interesting vine that I saw the other day. Look, Madame Lynn,” he points, “it’s much longer that you think. It loops in on itself to protect itself and grow even more.” Absentmindedly, he traces the metal of the pot with his fingers. “It’s a remarkable plant. Thank you again for the gift.” 

Alaine cannot smile with a beak, but nonetheless she seems happy. “I hope it treats you well, Mister Gannon. And Madame Lynn, I wish you all a safe voyage.” 

Lynn looks up, towards the stars. Towards  _ Lucky _ , towards her home. “Thank you.” 

* * *

That night’s dinner is extravagant, like always. But Lynn won’t get a chance to eat it. Before the table is served, the king frowns. 

“And where would Knight Christine be?” He irritably asks. 

Lynn shrugs. She hasn't seen Christine for hours. Across the table, Julie fiddles with a loose thread in the tablecloth, visibly nervous enough that Lynn notices. 

“I can send for her, Sire,” someone suggests. 

“Don’t bother,” the king mutters. And then, even quieter, “she’s probably with that greasy whore.” 

Lynn stiffens in shock. No one else had heard neither the words nor the implication that they carried. She feels sick, a flash of understanding blinding her. The king knows of Christine and Veronica’s relationship. And of course, he doesn’t approve. 

“Excuse me,” she says, standing up from the table. Nausea is rising in her throat, and her hands shake. “I-I don’t feel very well…” She runs into the kitchen. 

Behind her in the dining room, Julie says, “it’s a common effect when you’ve been on the surface. Excuse me.” She follows Lynn into the kitchen. 

Lynn heaves into a trash can, but she hasn’t really eaten that day, and she stops herself from throwing up. Julie rubs her back with one hand, the other on her shoulder. 

The big question: should she tell Julie the truth? 

Julie’s eyes are sincere. “Are you alright, Lynn? You look a little pale.” She helps Lynn sit on a chair in the corner of the kitchen. The chefs don’t pay them any attention. 

“The...the explosion…” Lynn finds the truth hard to swallow. But it’s an idea that she had considered for days, when she had the time to think about it. Her suspicion rests entirely upon something that Veronica had said: that she was  _ always  _ in front of that panel at the exact time of the explosion. And if someone had been right there when the explosion had happened...That person would be dead. 

“What? The explosion that happened last week?” 

“Yes.” Lynn swallows hard. “Veronica thought that it was sabotage. But why? At first, I thought that it was to wreck  _ Lucky _ , but we had received the necessary pieces to repair the engines. Then, if it wasn’t to harm the  _ ship _ …”

Julie says nothing. Lynn continues. 

“Then it was to harm  _ someone _ .” 

“Veronica,” Julie murmurs. They lock eyes. “But who-” 

“You know who,” Lynn interrupts. “The only person who is aware of their relationship, apart from you.” She lowers her eyes. “I have no proof. But I’m sure of it. The only person who could have sabotaged the vessel to try to kill Veronica…”

“...is the king.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Gasp* dun dun DUN!
> 
> It's impossible to translate in Engish, but there are different levels of formality in French. Everyone (besides the king) uses "vous" with Lynn, while she uses "tu" with everyone (except for the king). You only use "tu" with people you know very well and who you are moderately intimate with. Just letting you all know, Julie has by this point started using "tu" with Lynn, and several other characters will too as their bonds grow. I just wish there was some way to get that across, but it is an untranslatable pronoun quirk of language. 
> 
> Next chapter: a perilous situation!


	6. Chapter 6

“Outpost Achlys, we have received your medical emergency message. We are sending you someone to help the situation.” 

Achlys is an outpost of an alien race called the Gelanti. Their society has been allied with the French empire for years. They have less developed technology and medicine, but their strengths were the arts and the production of raw materials. What’s more, their military prowess is unmatchable. 

The outpost is small and of a construction that looks bizarre to Lynn’s eyes. Certain parts turn around the center to create an artificial gravity. There is a main section that contains crew quarters and principal control rooms. But there are other sections that don’t seem to have any function. 

Lynn exits the bridge. She goes to the infirmary, where Julie is preparing her equipment. 

She hesitates for a moment. After their conversation the other day about the sabotage, they haven’t spoken. They had decided that it would be wise to not speak about it new other people or in a place where they could be overhead. 

“Are you ready to go?” Lynn asks. 

Julie smiles at her. “Yes, don’t worry about me.” 

Out of nowhere, Lynn is hit with a pang of anxiety. She grabs Julie’s arm. “Really, Julie. Be careful, please. Maybe we should send two more guards with you, just in case…”

“In case of  _ what _ ?” Julie asks, unconcerned. “It’s only a medical mission. I’m going to go there, heal some people, and then return to the ship. The Gelanti aren’t a violent race, Lynn. It won’t be dangerous.” 

Lynn isn’t so sure. People talk about incidents in this region of deep space, unconnected events. There’s also talk of discontentment within the Gelanti, a dissatisfaction with their alliance with the empire. But all of that is probably only rumors. 

Often, though, Julie thinks that everyone is as nice as she is. Once, a crew member had stolen something. When Lynn had resolved the problem, Julie had admitted that she couldn’t believe that that person had stolen anything, because he had seemed so kind. 

But in this case, Julie is probably right. Lynn watches her: she can’t shake off this premonition. Julie radiates happiness. This is the work that she loves the most: helping people without demanding anything in exchange. Julie pulls on a short white velvet cape. The Gelanti can only stand very low temperatures. 

“Good day, Madame,” the guard that will accompany Julie arrives at the door to the infirmary. He is tall with black hair. 

“Ah, Mister Ackerman,” Julie says. “I’m ready to go. Let’s get going, if you’re ready?” 

Lynn grabs her arm. Impulsively, she takes Julie in her arms, squeezing her one time before letting go.

“Good luck, Julie,” she says. Lynn doesn’t stay to see Julie’s reaction. She turns on her heel and leaves the infirmary. She can keep contact with Julie from the bridge. 

* * *

For two hours,  _ Lucky  _ doesn’t hear anything from Achlys. Lynn paces. 

Julie had only taken one guard with her: what if something happens? The outpost is within sight, but so far. She’s in command right now: the king is sick with some bug he caught on a planet. 

“Madame Julie, report in please,” Lynn says. 

No response. She tries again. The communications officer verifies the connection. The ship is connected to Julie, but she doesn’t respond. Lynn signals the officer to open another channel. 

“Outpost Achlys, please respond.” 

The Gelanti officer that responds is the commander of the outpost. His name is Gerard. He is small with metallic blue skin, his eyes almost white. His mouth is turned up in a smirk. “Madame Lynn, it’s about time that you called. I think that you and me, we have a  _ small  _ problem.” 

“Where are my officers?” Lynn demands. “I sent them over-”

“Don’t worry about that, they’re safe.” Gerard leans forward on the arm of his chair. “For now.”

For a second, silence on the bridge. Lynn grits her teeth, her eyes steely behind her glasses. She tries to ignore the seed of anxiety that’s growing in her stomach. “What do you mean by that?” 

“What I mean is that I’m  _ sick  _ of our damned alliance with your empire. And I want us to have more power, more money. And if your response is “no”, we’ll break our alliance and kill both of your officers. Understood?” 

Lynn doesn’t have the time to think. She tries to buy herself time to come up with an idea. “Show me my team, so I know you’re telling the truth.” 

Gerard nods at someone off-screen. Two Gelanti guards drag Julie and Ackerman in front of the screen. Julie is shocked and pale, like she can’t comprehend such violence. Ackerman fights against his guard, indifferent to the weapon pointed at his head. 

“Like I told you,” Gerard says, “your officers are safe and sound. But if you don’t call your  _ government  _ and tell them our demands, or if their response is negative, or if you try something  _ stupid _ …” He doesn’t finish the sentence, but the threat is clear. 

Panic is making Lynn’s heart beat out of her chest, but she keeps a straight face. “It takes three hours to make the call,” she lies. Really, it only takes one hour, but Gerard doesn’t know that. 

“Then you have three hours,” Gerard says. Then he cuts the connection. 

* * *

Lynn doesn’t look up when the door opens. She is sitting in the bridge-adjacent conference room, head in her hands. 

“Lynn…” Christine says, coming into the room. “What happened? I heard that-” 

Veronica runs in. “Lynn-” 

Arcade is right behind her, the pot of the plant that he had received on Pan in his hands. “Where is Julie-”

Now that they’re all together, Lynn raises her head, sighing heavily. “Julie and Mister Ackerman were kidnapped by the Gelanti. We have three hours,” she checks the time, “two hours and fifty minutes to rescue them.” She waves at the mountain of tablets on the table. “Sit down, please.” 

Christine and Veronica sit down at her sides, Arcade across the table. He sets the plant on the table, and Lynn briefly notices that one of the vines is wrapped around his wrist. She doesn’t ask why. She has other problems right now. 

“Veronica, take a look at these schematics of the outpost. Try to find us a hidden entrance. Stealth is important for this mission: if they realize what we’re doing, it’ll be the end. Christine, you’re with me. Arm yourself. Arcade, we’ll need medical equipment, just in case the worst happens. And you’ll direct the infirmary while waiting for our return.” She doesn’t realize that she’s talking too fast, not taking a break to breathe. 

Veronica puts a hand on her shoulder. “Lynn, breathe, alright? Everything’ll turn out fine, we’ll save Julie, but you just need to calm down,  _ alright _ ?” 

Lynn curls her hands around the edge of the table, squeezing so hard her knuckles turn white. Veronica’s right. If she panics, she’ll never be able to save Julie. Slowly, she takes a deep breath. Julie needs her. Sometimes when situations like this happen, she gets too focused, too aware of the risk of failure. 

But she won’t fail. Not when Julie’s life is at stake. 

* * *

Veronica said that this entrance would not be guarded. Lynn and Christine find this to be true. It’s not really an entrance, rather an exit for trash. When they enter, no alarm goes off. 

The two women are wearing black clothing, light and soundless. They follow the path that Veronica had suggested, hiding from the Gelanti crew members. If the situation was less serious, Lynn would have enjoyed this type of mission: stealth was her specialty. She places her feet carefully, keeping an eye out for potential threats. 

Despite Lynn’s wish to carry on, they take a quick break. 

“It’s important to think before rushing into a bad situation,” Christine whispers. “We still have an hour and a half before Gerard calls  _ Lucky  _ for an update. We have plenty of time, Lynn.” 

She sighs. Christine is right. In her mind’s eye, she goes back over their escape route. When they save Julie and Ackerman, the alarm is almost certainly going to go off. They will need to be fast. 

The prisoner holding cells are probably in a part of the outpost far from the center. They find them quickly, in a few minutes at most. They don’t see anyone: outpost Achlys only has a dozen crew members. The cells aren’t guarded. Through the laser bars, they see Julie and Ackerman sitting on the ground, their backs to the door. The door to the cell is locked, but Christine had brought a set of lockpicks. 

“Julie!” Lynn fiercely whispers, grabbing her arm between the bars. Julie jumps. She turns towards Lynn and Christine, hope shining in her eyes. Lynn is relieved to see that she’s not injured. Ackerman also reacts to their presence, but both of them are smart enough to not make any noise. 

Lynn suddenly feels the desire to take Julie in her arms, to kiss her for eternity. It’s such a strong want that she’s blown away by such unexpected passion. A passionate flame burns in her heart, hot enough to ache. It’s neither the time nor the place to act. 

The goal in this moment, right now: save Julie and Ackerman. Thankfully, they haven’t been restrained in any way. There’s a tense moment where Christine works on unlocking the door, and then Lynn and Christine help the two prisoners to stand and exit the cell. 

The inevitable result: an alarm starts blaring. The noise is sudden and nearly deafening. Lynn starts running down the hallway, the others closely following. They hear voices and pounding footsteps. In one of Lynn’s hands is Julie’s hand, in her other is her saber. She doesn’t want to kill someone if she doesn’t have to, but she needs to be ready, just in case. 

They round a corner, then another. Left, right, right again. The voices and footsteps are getting louder. Then they slide around the last corner at top speed, too quickly. 

There’s a burst of laser first, and Julie cries out. Lynn’s heart stops beating, thinking that Julie’s been killed. But she grimaces and stays standing. The laser burst had hit her shoulder, burning the fabric of her cape and dress. 

“I have the shot!” Christine says, raising her pistol to point at the Gelanti that had fired. There’s only one, thankfully. 

“Wait!” Julie yells, one arm outstretched. “Maybe we don’t need to-” 

“What?” Lynn shouts, furious. “What are you even  _ saying _ , Julie? They kidnapped you, are you’re saying-” 

Christine is also distracted by this unexpected crisis, and Gelanti takes the opening. He starts to fire again, this time his weapon pointed directly at them. He doesn’t hesitate, and they can’t react fast enough.

But someone else does react. Ackerman dives in front of them. And before their eyes, he takes the hit. He falls to the floor. And he doesn’t get back up. 

Julie gasps, one hand covering her mouth, eyes full of horror. Christine immediately acts. She kills the Gelanti before he has the chance to fire again. The alarms are still blaring in their ears. 

“But-but-” Julie faints. Lynn catches her. Christine stoops and picks up Ackerman’s body, slinging it across her shoulders. 

“We need to give him a proper burial,” she says. “We owe it to him.” Then they run to the shuttle.

* * *

Lynn doesn’t know how to feel. She’s angry because Julie put the mission and her crew in danger, because she got someone killed. But there’s also a layer of worry, of anxiety because Julie herself was in grave danger. And every time she thinks of Julie now, she can’t help but thinking of the secret they keep, a secret terrible that could put them in even more danger. 

And deep down, Lynn feels a confused love, a passion that muddles all of her opinions. 

She’s in the infirmary when Julie wakes up. Christine’s no longer with them; she’s probably somewhere with Veronica. Ackerman is in  _ Lucky _ ’s small morgue. 

When Julie stirs, her eyelids fluttering, Lynn sits up. She takes Julie’s hand, a hand warm and living. 

“What? Lynn-”

“I’m here,” Lynn reassures her. She helps Julie sit up. “It’s alright, Julie. We’re aboard  _ Lucky _ .” 

Julie looks like she wants to cry, but she keeps her calm. “And Ackerman? Christine?” 

“I’m sorry, Julie. Ackerman saved us all. And Christine is somewhere around here. Do you want me to call for her-” The tension between them is starting to suffocate her. 

“No,” Julie stops her. “That’s not necessary.” She stares at Lynn, then she lowers her eyes. “I don’t know what was wrong with me, Madame. I apologize for my behavior-” She speaks too quietly, too formally, her voice not changing pitch. And Lynn can’t remember the last time that Julie called her by her rank and not her name. 

“Stop that, Julie,” she interrupts. She forces herself to speak more gently. “I’m not angry at you. I was worried, and I thought I was going to lose you. And I…” She rubs Julie’s hand between her own, the simple truth of her declaration making her blush. “You’re very dear to me, Julie. I…”

She loses the words.  _ I love you _ , she wants to say. She wants to lay her emotions bare in front of Julie.  _ I would have killed each and every Gelanti that existed in order to save you. I would have done anything necessary to keep you safe _ , she wants to blurt. 

“...I...you’re very dear to me. I don’t want to lose you.” 

Julie looks at her, then her eyes flicker to Lynn’s lips, a traitorous glance. Lynn realizes how close they are, their noses only a few inches apart. And maybe she doesn’t have to speak to show her love, maybe she only has to lean forward a little, until-

The door suddenly opens. Lynn jumps back, too-conscious of her hot face. A nurse enters, oblivious to the tension that she’s cutting through. The nurse checks that Julie’s wound is healing, then she leaves them alone again. 

“Me too,” Julie whispers, in the quiet, when they’re alone. They’ve lost the moment between them, and all that remains is their exhaustion. 

“Me too,” Julie says. Lynn gets up and leaves. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Achlys is the french name for Achilles. As I was writing, I realized that we had another false medical emergency a few chapters ago too. 
> 
> Next chapter: a romantic interlude.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude: Part One

“And just like that, I proved that I could beat  _ three  _ opponents in hand-to-hand combat.” 

Christine laughs, leaning forward on the table. “And what did you buy with the winnings?” 

“I bought a new pair of glasses, so I could win against  _ five _ .” Lynn hides her giggle in her teacup. The two women are sitting together in a lounge that is normally reserved for crew members of lower rank. Fantastic was trying to play the harpsichord in the other room, so they had moved into this one, which was more comfortable and less boring. 

Case in point: The door opens and Lynn can’t help but smile behind her fan. Christine turns to look. 

Arcade enters the room. In his left hand is the vine that he had received on Pan. Like the last time Lynn had seen him, it’s wrapped around his wrist and arm. Arcade himself seems annoyed. With his right hand, he pours himself some tea, muttering angrily, apparently to the plant. 

Her curiosity piqued by his attitude, Lynn waves him over, inviting him to their table. He reluctantly sits with them, setting his plant down next to him. 

“Good day,” Lynn says. “And what’s going on with your plant? Is it still-” 

“He,” Arcade interrupts. Lynn raises her eyebrows, and he points at a small plaque on the pot. “Dmitri. Obviously, since he won’t let me go, I needed to give him a name. And he’s masculine.” Arcade sighs. “I know you’re probably wondering what’s going on with Dmitri.” 

Lynn can’t help but laugh. The use of such a serious name for a  _ plant  _ seems absurd. Arcade glares at her. “Alright, continue. I’m listening.” She meets Christine’s eyes, and almost bursts into laughter again.

“Dmitri is very...attached.” Arcade lifts his left hand, and the plant still holds on to him. “Both literally and figuratively. I can’t even leave him alone without him using his vines to stop me from leaving. And those vines are much longer than they seem. And much stronger.” 

“So you go everywhere with...Dmitri…” Christine slowly says. “But what if something happens where you need both hands?” 

Arcade blushes. “Sometimes, if I ask him  _ very politely _ , he lets me go for a few minutes.” Shyly, he traces a jade-green leaf with his thumb, as if embarrassed by the fact that he talks to a plant. 

Lynn is lost for words. She glances at Christine, who just shrugs. That movement so cute and innocent makes Lynn blush a little bit herself. There’s something in Christine’s movements, something that always catches her attention, some surprising elegance in her hands, some trace of humor in her serious eyes. 

She realizes that she’s staring at Christine, and she quickly turns her head away and clears her throat. “Well, have you heard of the asteroid belt we’re going to pass through tomorrow? It’s supposed to be several miles long.” Thankfully, their conversation turns to easier topics. 

* * *

Lynn hasn’t told Veronica or Christine about her discovery. Her stomach churns with anxiety when she even just thinks about it. The weight of the secret is lightened by Julie. Just the fact that  _ someone  _ else knows reassures her. 

But she tries not to think about it. Without proof, she can’t do anything. That’s the most frustrating part: she’s powerless here. And if the king tries something against Veronica again? There’s nothing Lynn could do to stop him. 

Because of this anxiety, she often finds herself lost in thought when she’s with Christine or Veronica. Even when she’s with Julie, when they make eye contact, sometimes her smile falls, remembering the secret that they keep.

They’re together now, alone in Julie’s room. Her room’s decor is much simpler than Lynn had expected. The color scheme is pale and soothing, the furniture comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. There are some trinkets on the shelves next to books, real paper books that deal with philosophy, the history of various planets, or of regions of space.

“Look at this message.” Lynn shows Julie the copy of a message that she had found. “This was written two days before we received the false emergency message.” 

Julie, sitting next to Lynn, their shoulders touching, reads the message. The king had asked Fantastic to write a list of parts necessary to fix the engines, and to mark which ones  _ Lucky  _ was currently missing. “The problem is that this isn’t enough proof for a trial,” she says, sighing. “It’s not even enough to confront him.” 

“I know,” Lynn admits. “Do you- Julie, do you think that we should tell Christine or Veronica about this? If they’re in danger, maybe they need to know the truth.” 

Julie is lost in thought. She leans against Lynn’s shoulder. “I don’t know. But a secret like this one...maybe it’s best to keep it between us.” 

Us. Lynn realizes that there really was an “us”, and despite the situation, that was something good. A pair, a team, something real between them. 

“Yes,” she answers. “I think you’re right, Julie.” They lock eyes, close together like they were the last time that their instinctive reactions had been interrupted. 

But this time, nothing stops them. Lynn leans forward, her eyelids fluttering shut. This is it, the moment that she’s been waiting for for so long, since the first moment she had seen Julie. And for her part, Julie doesn’t seem surprised either. 

They kiss, taking the moment for themselves, taking the time to enjoy the experience, the act of mixing themselves together like this. They appreciate the chance that they had to find each other in the lonely desolation of space. 

They seperate, slowly, conscious of the line that they’ve crossed. Lynn clears her throat, an abrupt noise in the silence. “Julie-” 

Lynn’s tablet beeps. She hesitates, but Julie nods at her to read the message. 

It’s the king. 

> I request your presence immediately concerning a most serious affair. 

“It’s nothing,” Julie says, but her voice trembles. She looks at Lynn. “It’s surely nothing. He doesn’t know about this.” 

Lynn tries to stay optimistic. “Yes. He doesn’t know that we know.” But another worry creeps in. What if the king doesn’t approve of her relationship with Julie? Her heart skips a beat. She stands, making sure that her appearance is in order. Hesitantly, she kisses Julie on the cheek. 

And then she leaves the room, full of worry. 

* * *

Lynn was always thankful for her good poker face. She keeps her calm and innocent air when she enters the king’s office. 

“Sire,” she says, curtsying deeply. 

“Sit down, Lynn,” he says. “I won’t waste your time. The problem that I called you here about is one of inappropriate fraternization with other crew members.” 

Her heart sinks. Inappropriate fraternization? She immediately thinks of Julie. But how did the king know about their relationship already?

“Gannon is not a legitimate member of our  _ real  _ team,” the king continues. “We shouldn’t be giving him the impression of nobility when he has none. It is important that…” He continues speaking for several minutes, but Lynn isn’t listening anymore. 

This wasn’t about Julie. She lets out a relieved sigh. This wasn’t about their secret either. The king really didn’t know anything. They were safe. 

He finishes speaking and she straightens, pretending to have listened. 

“Yes, Sire, I will take more care from now on,” she obediently says. It would be useless to argue about the subject. And she didn’t lie: she hadn’t promised not to talk with Arcade, only to be more discreet about it. But the king is satisfied with her response, and he motions at her to go. 

In the hallway, she takes a second to breathe. He doesn’t suspect them. He doesn’t suspect anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter than normal, but I broke this chapter up so I could have more time for the one after next one, which will be the finale of the first story arc.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude: part two

Space Station Hopil is a large station with many services, including hot springs heated by rerouting the heat from a nebula. But the biggest attraction is the market. The crew of  _ Lucky  _ have three days of leave to enjoy the amenities before they depart. 

“It’s very beautiful,” Lynn says, “how much is it?” 

“Three hundred rakras,” the shopkeeper says, “but I also accept francs, of course.” 

It’s a test, Lynn realizes. He thinks that she’s stupid and that she doesn’t know the value of the object in francs. And if she asks, he’ll give her an exorbitant price. But thankfully, she’s not so easily fooled. 

“So two hundred francs,” she says. 

The shopkeeper's face shows his disappointment.  She had given, in fact, a better price, one that matched the actual value of the object. He knew that it would be useless to negotiate with her. 

Lynn smiles. “It’s a deal,” she says. She puts the object in her bag. She had bought a bracelet for Julie. It was in the shape of two intertwined golden serpents, a symbol of medical studies. And a very beautiful piece of jewelry. 

Something beautiful for  _ someone  _ beautiful, Lynn thinks, browsing the others stalls. Now that she and Julie are...something, she wants to buy something for her new...girlfriend? Lover? Very close pal who she kisses from time to time?

She’s so lost in thought that she almost runs into someone. 

“Ah, excuse me, Madame Lynn!” Veronica says, grabbing Lynn’s arm so she doesn’t fall. Veronica is very well dressed today, better than Lynn has ever seen from her. A clean blouse, a hat with plastic flowers, and boots that seem to have been recently washed. Maybe she’s getting ready for a special occasion, something like a birthday-

Birthdays. Lynn curses her bad memory when it comes to special occasions. Christine’s birthday was today; how could she have forgotten? She had helped Veronica perfect the song that she had written for Christine. But with all of her work, and her secret investigation...

“Maybe you could help me,” Lynn calmly says. “I haven’t bought Christine a present yet, and honestly, I don’t have a lot of ideas.” 

“Of course!” Veronica says, enthusiastically taking to the idea. “Here, I saw some interesting booths over here…” 

They shop together, browsing stalls that sell jewelry and other small gifts. 

“Is this too gaudy?” Lynn asks, showing her a silver collar. 

“If you have to ask, the answer is ‘yes’,” Veronica teases, and Lynn laughs. 

“I guess that’s true,” she admits, deciding to pass on the jewelry. She doesn’t know Christine very well, but she feels like the woman doesn’t like fancy jewelry that much. But what should she get her?

But before she can think of anything, she unexpectedly runs into someone else. 

“Wow, a real vine from Pan!” a shopkeeper loudly says, drawing her attention. 

In front of the booth, Arcade awkwardly holds out his plant, the vines still wrapped around his wrist and fingers. “Yes. I’m looking for a new pot for him, and maybe something to help me carry him around.” 

“Ah, yes, I understand,” the shopkeeper says, nodding. “Could I touch it for a second?” 

Hesitantly, Arcade agrees. It’s at that moment that Lynn and Veronica walk up to Arcade, greeting him warmly. The shopkeeper extends his hand to touch the plant (Dmitri, Lynn reminds herself, this plant has a name for some reason). 

Then the tendril of the vine explodes into thorns, the sharp barbs sinking into the shopkeeper’s skin. 

“Dmitri!” Arcade shrieks in panic, his hands tightening around the pot. “What are you doing-” 

“Don’t worry about it,” the shopkeeper reassures him in a surprisingly calm voice. He shakes his hand a little, and the tendril lets him go, going back to wind around Arcade’s arm, shedding its spikes on the way. “That happens from time to time. So, back to the subject of your new pot, I think I have something perfect in mind…” 

Lynn is extraordinarily relieved that nothing serious happened, and that the shopkeeper was very understanding of the situation. At her side, Veronica silently watches the scene. Lynn doesn’t know why she waits until Arcade completes his transaction, but she entertains herself in considering the idea that Christine might want a plant. But she’s not sure because a plant, well, that’s...a lot of work. 

The perfect example: Dmitri, who doesn’t want to let Arcade pay the shopkeeper, twining around both of his hands and keeping them together. 

“Stop that,” Arcade snaps, his cheeks bright red. “No, Dmitri, you know that I’m sorry for being so curt,” he glances self-consciously at Lynn. “He doesn’t like when I’m rude or abrupt with him,” he explains. 

“Maybe the Madame could hold the plant for a second?” the shopkeeper suggests, not at all confused by anything that’s happened. “If you tell it that she’s not dangerous, your plant won’t harm her.” 

Lynn bites back her first reaction, a fierce “hell no”. This is the weirdest thing she’s ever seen. “Alright, that might work. Arcade, uh, talk to Dmitri. It’ll only be for a second.” 

“If you’re sure,” Arcade says, then he whispers, “she’s a friend, Dmitri. Don’t attack her, please.” Cautiously, he puts Dmitri’s pot in Lynn’s hands. He gently shakes his own hands until the vines let him go. 

“Lynn…” Veronica murmurs, hovering over her shoulder. Lynn holds her breath when a vine touches her hand, but nothing violent happens. She feels something strange, like a friendly heat coming from the plant, almost an emotion that she can’t quite place, but that seems familiar. 

But before she can explore this feeling more, Arcade gets done and takes Dmitri back. 

“I need to go transplant him now, so you two have fun with your shopping,” he says with a rare smile. 

And now back to her dilemma: finding a gift for Christine. But she quickly finds a solution when she takes out her fan to cool herself down in the stifling market. 

“Ah, I’ve got an idea!” Veronica exclaims. “She sometimes says that she loves your fan and how it makes everything you do look flirtatious.”

“That’s a perfect idea,” Lynn says. There are several shops that sell French products, and she finds a fan that fits Christine’s style. It’s white lace in an intricate flower pattern. It’s simple, elegant, and perfect. Just like Christine. 

* * *

In this region of deep space, it seems like  _ Lucky  _ is attacked by pirates at least once per week. This time, the pirates had breached three levels of the ship. But finally, Christine’s security team had managed to chase them out, and the engineering team was starting to repair the hull and other damaged areas, mostly on the fifth level. 

“Here’s my report, Lynn,” Christine says, staying informal, since they’re alone in a conference room. She hands her a tablet. “Three crew members injured, for now, but so far no-”

Lynn’s brooch lights up, blinking bright red that signals an emergency call. She taps it. “Yes, what is your emergency?” 

No response.

She repeats herself, making sure that her brooch is working. The tablet, which can track all communication with her, says that it’s Arcade’s frequency. Not a prank, then. But she suddenly remembers that the fifth floor had been boarded by the pirates, and that security had been too late to stop the pirates from injuring two crew members. 

She’s already fast-walking towards the elevator, Christine following her. “Arcade?” she says, worried. “Respond. Are you alright?” Still no response. She starts running, waiting impatiently for the elevator. Christine puts a hand on her shoulder, and she doesn’t need to speak to get her message across:

Lynn needs to calm down. But this is  _ her  _ team, these are  _ her  _ friends, and Lynn doesn’t want anything to happen to anyone. 

The door to the fifth floor Laboratory Number 4 is closed. When it opens, Lynn puts a hand over her nose, backing up a step. 

Two pirates are dead on the floor, a pool of blood under their corpses. One of the pirates is missing an arm; the bloody limb is next to the door, the skin of both bodies torn up as if by knives. 

“Arcade?” Lynn calls out, entering after steeling herself. She can’t see him, but there’s a path of broken glass on the ground, knocked-over plants, fallen tablets, signs of a struggle. She follows the path, trying not to walk on the glass, which crunches under her boots. And then she steps on something that’s more wire than glass. 

“Julie!” She gasps into her brooch, quickly connecting to the right frequency. “Julie, I have a medical emergency.” She can’t suppress the note of panic in her voice. 

Arcade is on the ground, unconscious. He’s halfway under a table, one of his arms across his stomach, the other one tangled in Dmitri’s vines. His white and beige clothing is soaked in blood, and Lynn’s scared that he’s dead until she sees his chest moving, slowly. When she approaches, she can make out a gash on his temple and another wound near his stomach. 

His glasses had fallen to the floor, completely broken even before Lynn had stepped on them, the wire bent and the delicate glass shattered. 

“I have a stretcher,” Christine breathlessly says. Lynn stops her from approaching him. She remembers what had happened at the market. Combined with the scene in front of her now, she realizes that Dmitri, the small plant that seemed so harmless, had killed two people. And if someone tries to lay a hand on Arcade, he’ll make it three. 

“Hold on, I’ll take Dmitri,” she says, then she steels herself to do something that will seem absurd to anyone watching. She clears her throat, approaching slowly, so slowly. Some of the tendrils still have thorns that are several inches long. “Dmitri, it’s me. We need to help Arcade, so I’m going to pick you up, alright? We’ll get him to safety, I promise.” Then she holds her breath, bending down to pick up the plant. 

A pause, then the tendrils wrap around her wrist, but Dmitri doesn’t do more than that. Quickly, Christine and another security officer pick up Arcade and lay him on the stretcher, then they rush to the infirmary. 

Julie’s already waiting for them. She works fast, healing the worst injuries. 

Looking at them, Lynn stumbles and nearly falls, hit with a surge of emotion so strong that she gets dizzy. Fear, panic, a ball of anxiety that turns and turns, a love that burns through all of her vines-

She doesn’t realize that she’s collapsed into a chair until Christine grabs her arm, gently shaking her. 

“...you don’t look good, Lynn, are you alright, you need to breathe…”

These emotions, they weren’t hers. As soon as that becomes clear, it’s easier for her to calm down, to block these overwhelming feelings until she can breathe easily again. 

But with this new sense of calm comes a realization. She doesn’t want to believe, but it’s plain as day that Dmitri is not totally inanimate. He can probably think, feel emotions, and maybe even speak. 

_ This is stupid, but can you hear me?  _ She thinks. After thinking that, she kicks herself. That was so idiotic, a plant can’t-

_ Yes. _

* * *

Later, Arcade wakes up. Thankfully, Julie said that we would recover soon, as his injuries were not very serious. 

As soon as he comes to, Lynn leaves the infirmary. She’s still in shock from her realization and her following short conversation with Dmitri. And she thinks that maybe the two of them need some time together. Alone. 

But what she needs right now is a distraction. She turns down a different hallway and finds herself in front of Christine’s door. She hesitates before knocking. Maybe Christine doesn’t want to see her- 

“Oh, Lynn, it’s just you,” Christine says, visibly relieved. “You looked so ill today, I was sort of worried…”

“It was just a dizzy spell,” Lynn reassures her. 

“Come on in,” Christine invites her into her room, a comforting hand on Lynn’s back. “I’ll get some tea going, alright? This has been a stressful day for you. All of your work, then the pirates every week on top of that, and then almost losing a crew member…”

Christine’s room is minimalist and elegant. She has a table with two comfortable black chairs and a chessboard. Christine prepares the tea and Lynn prepares the chessboard. Soon, the aroma of the herbal tea wafts through the room, calming and pleasant. 

They sit together with their cups of tea and a small box of cookies that Christine had dug out. They don’t need to speak, and that’s something Lynn likes about Christine: she can get herself across without words. Worried glances, silent encouragements to eat more cookies or drink more tea, her hand on her own, her smiling face close to her, and Lynn catches herself glancing down at her lips that seem so soft-

The feeling that rises in her is familiar, too familiar. It strangles her breath, it evokes a desire in her core, it is crystal clear. 

And Lynn has no idea how to face this realization. So she flees. 

“Excuse me, but I- I-” she doesn’t know what to say, “I’m very tired, I need to go to bed, thank you for the tea.” 

And before Christine, confused, can respond, she’s out the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that this is sci-fi when there's a telepathic plant monster/boyfriend. Oh, Dmitri.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changes.

Lynn gets a weekly newsletter. News from the galaxy, advice for living a comfortable life in outer space. She reads certain parts and ignores others. 

She should have read the wanted notices. She won’t regret it until much later. 

* * *

“So…” Lynn kneels to right a pot. 

Arcade tries to ignore her, but he’s been organizing the same five tablets for an entire minute. “It’s none of your business-” 

“Oh?” She turns. She stands in the lab that is still messy, but a little more organized after they’d had to clean it after the pirate attack. “And who figured it out first? Who saved your life when you got injured?” 

“Alright, fine,” he admits. “I needed to take some time to understand it myself. But afterwards, Dmitri and I, well, we discussed things. It’s complicated,” he sighs, “I’ve never had a telepathic plant boyfriend before.” 

Lynn does a double take. “A  _ what  _ now?” 

* * *

Four months and fifteen days since her first day aboard  _ Lucky _ .

The vessel is exploring a region of space that appears to be empty, but on which they’ve received a number of interesting and unexplainable reports. There were three alien and french vessels that had disappeared in this region in the last year alone, and  _ Lucky  _ had the mission to figure out why. The crew is busy taking all possible precautions. 

“ _ I  _ think that this region is really cold,” Fantastic says, and Lynn tries not to roll her eyes, “and I think that the others ship’s engines froze and exploded and killed everyone.” 

First of all, Lynn knows that this part of space is not “really cold”. According to Arcade, there’s nothing strange with the space itself. Secondly, that’s not how engines work. But she doesn’t really want to get drawn into a conversation with Fantastic, so she just nods and turns her back. 

Thankfully for the safety of the ship, Veronica is taking charge of preparations. She leads the other members of the engineering crew, who seem to unanimously respect her. 

Looking at her, Lynn feels a pang of guilt: why had she thought such inappropriate thoughts about Christine? How could she do something like that when Veronica was such a dear friend to her? She brushes aside the memory: it was just an accident, a lapse in judgement, a side effect of Dmitri’s proximity minutes before. She hadn’t had any intention to do...what? Kiss Christine? What’s wrong with her? Is she dissatisfied with Julie? Why would she have eyes for someone else? 

She’s had enough of this train of thought. Since Veronica seems to have the situation in hand, Lynn goes back to her position on the bridge. She has her own workstation next to the throne. When the vessel approaches the region where the ships had disappeared, the king yawns, slouched in his chair. 

“If we could just find something and  _ leave _ , if at all possible,” he says, yawning again. “I would like to finish this  _ really important  _ mission as soon as possible-” 

Be careful what you wish for, they say. 

Lynn is aboard  _ Lucky _ , and then she’s not. 

* * *

She’s pushing a small boat with a stick. The boat is less than a meter tall, made of light wood with a plain white sail. She pushes the boat around so it can continue its voyage across the lake. The stick is almost too small to hold: it’s meant for children, not for adults. She’s sitting with the hem of her skirt brushing the water, her boots soaking in it. 

The garden is eerily silent and empty. The sky is clear blue, the sun high and hot. Everything is blurred; the statues don’t have faces, the flowers are just a blob of color, even the palace is like if someone took a rag and smudged the edges of the building. 

Slowly, Lynn realizes that she’s not on  _ Lucky  _ anymore. What’s going on? It’s been so long since she’s visited the Luxembourg Gardens-

A noise behind her, a sound that’s not the nonexistent wind, and she whirls, too quickly, and loses her balance. 

Lynn falls into the water. 

And she lands on hard tile. 

This time, there’s no moment of confusion. She’s immediately aware that something’s wrong. The tile under her cheeks is black and orange and pastel blue. She stands. This time, she’s not alone either. She can’t see anyone, but  _ someone  _ is with her. 

“Hello?” She demands, brushing her skirt with her hand, red dust falling from her clothing. “Is someone there?” She doesn’t expect a response, but she gets one anyways. 

“Yes.” A light appears before her. Or, she thinks she sees a light. Maybe it’s just her imagination. “It’s judgement time, Lynn. The time has come.” The voice is made of several voices together, high and low. 

A clock chimes, the resounding notes falling heavy and hot. It chimes five times. Then the voice speaks again. “You are not the only one who will be judged. We judge all.” 

“Who are you?” Lynn asks, the back of her neck prickling. The light becomes brighter. She shivers despite the heat. 

“We are forever,” the voices say. “We are called the Sentinels of Tomorrow. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. We are all these things.” Silence, then the light dims a little. “Maybe this will be easier if we take a form that you can understand. A human form, perhaps.” 

In front of Lynn, a hazy shape appears. It’s really no more than a shadow. 

“Someone that you know. Someone familiar.” A woman, a man, a child, a woman again, the image before her changing too quick to see, to understand. “Someone important to you.” 

Julie. Lynn gasps. But then the image changes again. A man with skin darker than Lynn’s, his long black hair like a starless sky, twisted and pulled back into a style that Lynn’s not familiar with. 

“I...I don’t know him…” She admits, looking closer at him. He’s wearing a mask that covers his mouth and a hat that hides his eyes. His clothing is simple but elegant, well made, in a vaguely French style, but with marked differences. There’s something in his appearance that seems familiar, but she knows she’s never seen this man. 

The man, the Sentinel, speaks. His voice is deep and gravely. “Well, someone from your future then. It doesn’t matter. Come, Lynn, sit. We have much to discuss.” He indicates a bench of beige stone. A relatively intact block in this royal ruin. 

Lynn sits. “May I ask you some questions?”

“Of course,” he says. “You humans are so curious. Ask away, please. We have eternity for your judgement.” 

“Alright,” she hesitates, bursting full of questions, “why this place? Why the El-Badi Palace?” 

He shrugs. “Simple. I wanted to pick a place where you would feel comfortable. And why not a ruin in the city where you grew up? Would like to go somewhere else?” 

“No, this is fine. And you said that I’m not the only one getting judged. Are you judging the other members of my crew? Are they safe?” 

“Yes, don’t worry about them. If they are worthy…” The man chuckles. “Well, there aren’t very many, often. Not a single one, in fact. Let’s just leave it at that. We’ll find out soon if they deserve their tomorrows.”

The sun sets, slowly, and Lynn shivers from the chill, both in the air and in his voice. She doesn’t need to ask what happens if someone is not worthy. The disappearances of the ships are proof enough that something terrible happens. “And the judgement? How do you judge? What must I do?”  

“It’s simple.” He tilts his head towards her. “Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. We judge all. And if we find you lacking…” He claps once and a small bracelet on one of his wrists jangles. “First, the judgement. Shall we begin?” 

He leads her out of the ruined room. Lynn walks as if in a dream, her fingers and toes numb. They go out into the massive courtyard, to the crystal clear pond in the middle. It’s night now, the moon reflecting on the surface, the twinkling lights of downtown Marrakech shining orange and bright. 

“Here, you must simply look into the water.” 

Lynn leans forward over the water, and she looks.

> A dirty tavern. A stable behind the main building, damp from rain. Lynn is on the way to her new post in a large city, a captaincy that her parents are very proud of. She’s putting her horse away when someone runs in. She won’t see their face until much later, hidden by a hat pulled low over the stranger’s eyes. There’s not time at the moment. Four mercenaries burst in, and one fires at the other man, who cries out in pain. Lynn draws her saber.

The image in the water freezes, then it disappears in a ripple. 

“Interesting,” the Sentinel comments, and Lynn jumps, forgetting that she wasn’t alone. “Protective of a stranger. Ready to fight for him, even before you knew that he was the Emperor. But nevertheless, you killed nobody.” 

Lynn stays quiet, looking up at the star-filled sky, the moon glinting off her glasses. That’s the day that everything had changed for her. “Fine. Let’s move on to Today.” She doesn’t know if she passed that test, but if she failed, she just wants to get it over with. 

“Relax, we have plenty of time.” He shrugs. “Well, if you want to go on, go ahead.” 

This time, when she looks in the water, she only sees her own face, her eyes wide. Was she supposed to see something special? Confused, she raises her head. “I see myself.” 

“Really?” The Sentinel is surprised. He looks in the water, his hair draping over one shoulder and skimming over his collarbone. “Ah, but that’s true. Normally, you would see...something. It changes radically between people, you must understand. But if you don’t see anything…” 

Across the lake, a person comes out of an archway. An old woman. Even from so far away, it’s clearly Lily. She’s walking slowly, looking around. 

“Ah! Congratulations!” The man cries, following her gaze. “It’s so rare that someone is worthy. But why is she-” he stops, then laughs. “Ah, of course. Your today, you won’t see that in a mirror.” 

Lynn doesn’t understand what he means. “Lily-” she starts to shout. 

“Don’t bother, she can’t hear or see us. Ah, there’s more! Incredible, the merit of your friends!” 

Julie walks out of a doorway, followed closely by Boone. Julie stares almost directly at Lynn, squinting like she thinks she sees her. Boone, the king’s personal bodyguard, starts searching the courtyard for his superior. Arcade, one hand on the orange wall, the other one holding Dmitri, comes out of another crumbling archway. 

“Well then, since we’re done with Today, it’s time to see Tomorrow!” The Sentinel chirps. 

But before Lynn can look down into the water, on the other side of the lake, Veronica and Christine crash together, embracing one another. Then she lowers her head. It’s time to find out if she deserves to exist. 

> A hallway that could be on  _ Lucky _ . Lynn, her saber in hand, stabbing someone. The man whose form the Sentinel took is at her side. After killing the enemy, Lynn turns and kisses Veronica, giving her a passionate embrace.

“What?” Lynn gasps. Her eyes raise to see Christine and Veronica, who are in the same position, like a twisted reflection of what she just saw. 

“Oh, the future, that which is most precious to us,” the man thoughtfully says, ignoring Lynn. He raises his head to the sky, one of his hands on his hip. Across the lake, her friends speak urgently to each other, no doubt trying to figure out what’s going on. 

Lynn waits with bated breath. She can’t wrap her head around what she just saw, she can only await her judgement. And that judgement comes quickly. 

“Well then, Lynn, I wish you a most excellent Tomorrow.” 

The Sentinel puts a hand on her back and shoves her into the water. 

* * *

But she doesn't land in the water. Rather, she finds herself standing up, and so surprised that she falls and catches herself on the arm of the throne. A cacophony of confused voices all speak at the same time, filling up every communication channel of the ship. 

“Madame Lynn,” Veronica’s voice catches her attention, “I don’t know what happened, but I swear that Mister Fantastic was right in front of me, and now he’s not.” 

Disappearances. It seems that not everyone on the ship was found worthy. Lynn drags herself to her feet. She orders the communications officer to open a ship-wide channel. 

“Your attention please,” she declares, and everyone listens. “We can figure out what happened later. For the moment, give me a list of everyone...who...has disappeared…” 

Silence on the bridge when everyone sees what Lynn has seen. Or rather, what she  _ hasn’t  _ seen. 

The throne is empty. The crown is sitting on the red cushion. The king is gone. 

As if in a dream, Lynn takes the crown. And she places it on her head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: the result of this abrupt change!


	10. Chapter 10

During the following twenty four hours, Lynn has a lot of work. First, five people have disappeared: 

The King.

Fantastic. 

The entertainment officer, a man named Ronald Curtis, who Lynn had only briefly met before. 

Two men, Misters Dermot and James, two roommates. 

Lynn frowns at the list. She hates when bad things happen to her crew. And how is she going to explain the disappearances? She’s going to need a mountain of paperwork to give a complete report of what had happened. Already, the crown weighs heavy on her. 

She picks up a quill. The sooner she starts, the sooner she can finish. 

* * *

“...and I vow to protect the ship and to uphold the happiness of  _ all  _ members of the crew, no matter their rank.” 

Arcade pauses, waiting for the surprised murmur from the assembled crew to fade away. He raises his eyes to Lynn, who nods to continue. She had specifically asked him to add that phrase to the traditional vows. 

“And in the name of the empire, I pledge my life.”

“Rise, Sir. According to my power as sovereign of this vessel, I bestow upon you the title of Count of New Navarro. Congratulations.” With her saber, Lynn taps first his right shoulder, then his left. 

At her side, Julie helps Arcade stand, taking care to take his right hand, avoiding Dmitri. The plant had bloomed beautifully for the occasion, large white flowers to coordinate with Arcade’s clothing. 

But the ceremony isn’t over yet. Lynn turns towards the other person kneeling before her. “Madame Veronica Santangelo.” 

Veronica seems nervous. She’s also dressed all in white, her skin scrubbed of all dirt, her hair brushed and shining. “I, uh, I promise to serve the ship the best I can, and to, um, to do everything I can for everyone and in the name of the empire I pledge my life.” Her words run over each other, and when she has finished speaking, the assembled crew is silent, surprised yet again. 

Technically, only a few words are officially needed, really just the last sentence. Contrary to Arcade, Veronica hadn’t memorized any of the ceremonial speech before that morning. Since she didn’t have the time, Lynn had quickly verified the ceremonial rules. Lynn wanted to do the ceremony as soon as possible to avoid the possibility that remplacements would be sent from the empire’s offices. 

Therefore, it was the morning after their encounter with the Sentinels of Tomorrow. 

Lynn smiles. Veronica peeks up at Christine, who is to Lynn’s left. Christine gives her a nearly imperceptible nod, and Veronica slowly smiles before lowering her eyes. A knot of some emotion twists in Lynn: jealousy, confusion, and a warm emotion. Her smile falls. 

“Rise, Madame. According to my power as sovereign of this vessel, I bestow upon you the title of Viscountess of the Arlaud Nebula. Congratulations.” 

Christine helps Veronica stand with a hand in the crook of her elbow. Now that Veronica has a title, their relationship is no longer a scandal, and they don’t have to keep it a secret. That makes their situation much easier and safer. 

All the same, Lynn finds the hierarchical system tiring and troublesome. The fact that Veronica is the best engineer on the ship, or that Arcade is without equal in his knowledge of science, that fact counted for nothing. To promote someone to the rank of officer, they need to have a title. And for Arcade, it was very easy: he was rich enough, he had served on  _ Lucky  _ for more than five years, and he had the support of several influential scientists and doctors on Earth. But Veronica was a different story: she was poor, she’d only been on  _ Lucky  _ for three years, and she was, relatively, a nobody. 

But it’s all taken care of now. One more thing to cross of her list. After briefly congratulating Arcade and Veronica, she leaves the room. She’s still got a lot of work to do. 

Footsteps behind her, rushed. 

“Lynn, where are you going? You’re not staying-” 

“I have a lot of work to do, Julie. I don’t need to stay.” 

Julie grabs her arm. “Really, Lynn. You’ve been out of sorts lately-”

Lynn whirls and grabs Julie’s waist, tugging her close to kiss her, hard. Julie relaxes in her arms, carding a hand through Lynn’s hair, her fingers brushing the back of her neck until she relaxes too. 

They seperate, panting. Lynn is soothed by her burning love for Julie. Despite the chaos in her heart and the persistent feeling of guilt when she sees Veronica or Christine, she still has Julie. She still loves Julie. 

“I,” Lynn traces the curve of Julie’s cheek with her thumb. She has to say what she needs to say, to reassure herself of her fidelity. “I love you, Julie.” 

Julie’s eyes widen. “Lynn, I don’t know what to say,” she sputters, and a cold hand of anxiety squeezes Lynn’s heart. That was too fast, she was wrong to say that so soon, the empty hallway isn’t the place to make this sort of confession, Julie doesn’t love her-

“No, Lynn, it’s not that I don’t love you,” Julie blurts, as if she could read thoughts, “because I love you, Lynn, I really do, it’s that, now, after all that’s happened, it seems so unreal. We found each other, and we get along so well, Lynn, despite everything that’s happened, despite this abrupt change.” She smiles, that smile that makes Lynn smile too without fail. “I love you, Lynn, and that’s something that’s never going to change.” 

The hallway is still; in this moment, there are only the two women, together, in each other’s arms. 

“My work…” Lynn starts to protest. The crown weighs heavy on her head and her thoughts. 

“Come to my room, “Julie suggests. “We can have some tea, do our work together. You don’t have to bear this heavy responsibility alone, Lynn. Let your friends help you.” 

She is right. One of Julie’s responsabilites, now that she’s  _ Lucky _ ’s second in command, is to help Lynn and to make sure that the stress doesn’t overwhelm her. 

“I think that’s a great idea. Let’s go.” 

* * *

Some customs and practices of the ship need to go, Lynn decides. 

First, the officer’s dinner. It takes too much time and too many kitchen resources. What’s more, such a tradition isolates certain crewmembers from others. 

The next thing is the ridiculous level of formality. Lynn wants everyone to be able to be honest with her about anything, from serious subjects to lighter conversations. 

She knows that it’s not going to be easy, so she starts by meeting one-on-one with each crewmember. 

“So, Mister Ignacio Rivieras,” she says, looking at the man sitting across from her. Veronica had named him as her second-in-command in the engineering department, and Lynn wants to know him before she approves. So, she had decided to start her interviews with him. “Veronica mentioned you. She said that you are in charge of the distribution of electricity, right?” 

“Yes, Madame.” He waits for her to continue, his dark eyes curious, as if he couldn’t understand why she needed to talk to him. And she can understand his confusion: normally, the leader of a ship does a lot of work to keep themselves separated from lower-ranking members. 

“And...any problems? Worries? Tell me a little more about your work, please.” She doesn’t know how to sooth his discomfort. 

He hesitates. “Frankly, Madame, my work will be much easier now that Madame Veronica is officially in charge. But, still…” He stops himself. 

Lynn inwardly sighs. A pause like that could only warn of a problem. “Yes, continue. What is the problem?” Since Ignacio still seems reluctant to tell her, she audibly sighs. “Listen: the sooner you tell me, the easier your job will be. Really. I only want the best for this ship and its crew, but for that, you need to be honest with me.” 

“Alright, I suppose. At the moment, we have enough energy, but just barely.” He pulls up a schematic of energy usage of the ship. “It’s not too bad, but if something happens…” 

Lynn thoughtfully hums, examining the diagram. The levels of the kitchens, the greenhouses, the quarters, and in general. “Why is the living quarters usage so high?” She asks. The kitchens are also using a lot of energy, but she knows that that will be diminished once the chefs stop preparing a separate meal for the officers, and Ignacio confirms her thought. 

“Honestly, Madame, it’s your suite. Because it’s so large, it needs much more heating. What’s more, hot baths take up a lot of energy.” 

She grimaces. “Then I’ll take less of them. Twice per week was fine before, but I can also go down to one if needed. But the heating, that’s really a problem, isn’t it? Maybe we can lower the heat when I’m sleeping, or I can spend most of my free time in a lounge or some other place…” 

“Just like that?” Ignacio says, surprised. 

“What? Just like what?” 

“It’s that, it’s just that you decided to do whatever needed to help me,” he snaps his fingers, “just like that.” 

“Yes? Why not?” Ignacio doesn’t seem able to come up with a response to that, so Lynn takes out her tablet, scribbling a note and signing it. “Here, I’m sending you my official authorization to do whatever you need to do to fix the problem. Let me know if it’s something that affects me, of course, but there’s no need to ask for my permission again.” She smiles in what she hopes is an encouraging way. “Any other problems?” 

“No, no, not at the moment,” he blurts, standing, bowing. “Thank you very much, Madame. This helps me a lot.” 

She has finished one meeting, now she only has the rest of the ship. But she doesn’t regret this. Meeting her crew is an important task. And already, she has resolved one problem that could have become serious. And that already makes it worth the time and effort. 

* * *

“Are we going to have time to train together this week?” Christine asks during lunch. 

Lynn has a plethora of reasons to refuse. But she forgets them all as soon as Christine asks her. Her work, her confusing emotions towards Christine, every pretext to reject her. 

“Yes, of course, maybe we’ll need to change exactly when we do it, but I think I can find the time.” Lynn is too self-aware of her voice, which seems to hurried, too eager. 

“I’m happy that  _ someone  _ can pull her away from work,” Julie says, giggling. She leans on Lynn’s shoulder. “Even if it is training, it’s still exercise and a little bit of fun.” 

Veronica sits with them. “Fun? Are we talking about your literary salon, Julie? Is that going to be this week?” 

“Yes, and I think Thursday might work. Are you coming too, Lynn?” 

She almost says “no”, but she smiles instead and says “yes”. She can’t avoid Veronica and Christine forever. And she needs to face these emotions, not hide from them. She straightens, giving Veronica a warm smile. “It would be my pleasure.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah sorry it's been two weeks since I've updated, but writer's block (and school) have hit me! I'm going to try and write a ton this weekend, so we'll see! 
> 
> A viscountess is quite a few steps below a Count, since Lynn pretty much had to grab any title that would let Veronica be an officer, no matter how low, while Arcade really has had this path open to him for a while.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for blood and character death (temporary).

“We’re receiving a transmission, Madame.” Lieutenant Williams, a blond officer with piercing eyes, frowns. “It’s very strange. There are some coordinates, then your first name. Signed, Ulysses. That’s all it says, Madame.” 

“Ulysses…” Lynn doesn’t know that name. “Where do the coordinates lead?’

“An abandoned space station, previously named Missouri Station before the construction of other stations further out. Now, it is known by another name: the Divide.”

“Hm.” She thinks for a second. “Call up the senior officers, please.”

* * *

“I don’t like you going solo,” Boone complains, “The danger-”

“Is minimal,” Lynn retorts. “The station has been empty for years. And I’m not going alone.”

Christine addresses Boone. “If something happens to Madame or to the rest of the team, I will take responsibility. And Madame is very capable of defending herself. I assure you, Monsieur, nothing will happen to her.” She double-checks her sword. “Veronica, Julie, are you ready?”

“Yes.” Veronica is dressed in men’s clothing today, an olive green ensemble. It’s a color that accentuates her dark brown eyes. “I have everything I need to get past the remaining defenses and re-establish necessary systems.” She gives Lynn a curious look. “Why are we going on this mission, Madame, if I’m not being too forward in asking? A strange transmission doesn’t require this level of preparation or personnel.”

“Honestly,” Lynn admits, “I don’t know. But something tells me that there’s something here. This person, this Ulysses, knows me somehow. And I want to know how.”

Julie puts a hand on her arm. “So, are we ready to go? Arcade can take charge of the ship in our absence, and I want answers too.”

With a reassuring smile at Boone, Lynn gives the signal for their depart.

* * *

The station used to be magnificent. It had served as an important stop in a trip to the outer reaches of space, before the construction of other stations and faster ships. That leads to its current name: The Divide.

But now, with dust coating every surface and a rancid stench in the air, the station seems more like the setting of a horror story. Lynn tries to forget that troubling thought. 

“The transmission came from the bridge,” she says. “We’ll find our answers there. Come on, this way.”

Veronica follows her, followed by Julie, with Christine bringing up the rear. The corridors are claustrophobic, the lights are dimmed. The bridge, according to the rough schematic of the station, should be at the top. 

“Lynn, look at this,” Christine says as they pass through a door. She points out a panel with a small screen. “It says your name.” 

“Really?” Lynn slips to the back of the group, leaving Veronica and Julie on the other side of the door. “Ah, that’s true. Kind of strange-”

The door slams shut. 

“Veronica?” Christine yells. She tries to open the door, but it’s useless. Something, or someone, has closed and locked the door. The screen is off. 

On the other side of the door, Veronica’s voice is weak, but loud enough to be heard. “We’re okay! We’ll meet you at the bridge!” 

“Understood!” Lynn yells back. “Be careful!”

* * *

“Don’t worry,” Christine says in the silence of the corridor. “Veronica can take care of herself, and she won’t let anything happen to Julie either.”

“Thank you.” Christine’s words don’t do a lot to comfort, but it’s better than the silence. “It’s hard not to worry.” Especially not with her crush on Veronica. A simple infatuation, persistent but not serious, she’s convinced herself. 

The corridor turns and widens. The path up to the bridge is long and winding, with blocks of the station reserved for residential chambers and liesure spaces, making the layout confusing. But it’s impossible to become lost, since at each intersection, there is always only one lit up path. Behind them, the lights turn off as they pass. 

Lynn stops. “Hello? Is someone there?” She says to the empty hallway.  _ Someone  _ is watching them. Then, more hesitant, “Ulysses?” 

Nobody answers. At the end of the hallway, a door opens. The actions of the station were too complex to be the result of an artificial intelligence. What’s more, Lynn  _ feels  _ like someone is watching her. 

“I will try our communications one more time,” Christine says, visibly nervous. “Christine to Julie or Veronica. Please respond.” No response. “Knight Christine to  _ Lucky. Lucky,  _ please respond.” Like the other attempts, there’s no answer. About fifteen minutes ago, they’d lost all connection with their ship. 

“Arcade has his orders,” Lynn says with more confidence than she feels. “We have about two hours before he starts to worry and send teams in after us. Now, we just have to reach the bridge and meet up with Veronica and Julie. Perhaps we can resolve this without having to get help.” 

“Alright.” Christine nods. “Let’s go.” 

It takes them thirty more minutes to get to the doors of the bridge. Behind them, the station is dim, but the shadows seem to move, and Lynn has felt someone following them for several minutes. 

The eerie silence is broken. In the lit-up room, someone’s crying. 

“Julie?” Lynn yells, taking out her weapon. “Veronica?” 

“In here,” Julie cries, the echo of a sob in her voice. “I - I couldn’t - Lynn-”

“Oh,” Christine says, her voice a sigh. Her sword clatters to the ground. “No.  _ Veronica!”  _

Lynn stumbles, one hand on the doorframe. Julie’s white dress is soaked with blood. In her arms, she cradles Veronica’s limp body. Her bloody chest isn’t moving. 

“What happened?” She asks, numbly kneeling at Veronica’s side. She touches her cold cheek. She can’t believe that - that Veronica-

“I don’t know,” Julie answers, “I turned around, and she was dead, and there was  _ nothing  _ I could do to save her, nothing!” She tries to wipe away tears from her cheek with her hand, but she only smears blood on her ivory skin. “I don’t know what to do, Lynn, I’m so sorry-”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Lynn takes a difficult breath. “We need to get out of here, as fast as possible. That is our priority.” She scoops up Veronica’s corpse, ignoring the blood that soaks her own clothing. “I couldn’t care less about the transmission.”

Christine seems in shock. She nods, her wide eyes filled with tears. Julie, her own face buried in a handkerchief, takes her arm to lead her. 

But when they turn back to the door, they receive a brusque surprise. A man is standing there. He steps into the light. It’s the man whose form the Sentinel had borrowed.  _ Someone important to you,  _ the Sentinel had said.  _ Someone from your future.  _

“Who are you?” Lynn demands, suddenly furious with grief. “What have you done?” 

There’s something strange in the man’s eyes, a repressed anger that doesn’t match up with his calm speech. “The name of this man is Ulysses, but the person you are currently talking to, me, I am called Elijah.” His speech is stiff and unnatural. Lynn realizes that there’s a device in his left ear, visible under the thick locs of his hair. He’s only repeating what this “Elijah” is saying. 

Lynn glances at Christine and Julie. “Alright, Elijah. What are you doing here? Why are you using Ulysses to speak with us?”

“I couldn’t take the risk of coming personally. Ulysses’ presence here was a coincidence that I took advantage of. He wanted to catch you in a trap, but he neglected to notice my own trap. And I am doing many things here, Madame Lynn, which are best kept secret.” 

“Why kill Veronica?” Christine asks, voice raw. 

In the pause that follows, Ulysses makes an aborted movement towards something around his neck, a sort of metal collar. Then, he speaks. “Believe me, I didn’t want to hurt her, not my dear Veronica. But she had jumped in front of the other woman. I can restore her life. For a price.” 

“What price?” 

“Lynn, wait a moment,” Julie whispers, “if he’s trying to trick us-”

“What price?” She repeats, unable to hide her anguish. “Please. I’ll do anything to bring her back to life.” 

Ulysses watches her with a speck of admiration in his eyes. “Let’s go to the infirmary.” 

When the group enters the abandoned infirmary, the harsh lights kick on. 

“Put her in there.” Ulysses indicates a tube, Elijah’s words in his mouth flat and without emotion. “I can get it working. And now, we will speak of the price. You said that you would do anything? It’s time to put that to the test. Madame Lynn, please seat yourself in that booth.” 

“What does it do?” She asks, one foot in the cramped booth. There’s enough room for her, but no more. The door closes behind her, and panic claws up her throat. “Elijah, what is this? What are you doing to me?” 

“Relax,” Ulysses says, his voice deeper. “Elijah likes to harm, but he will not kill you.” He stiffens. “You have a strong body, Madame Lynn, but your real strength is your brain. Your memory.” 

“Lynn, no.” Julie puts her hands on the window of the booth. “Maybe there’s something else we can do, please don’t do this-”

“What memory?” Lynn asks. She begs Julie with her eyes to let her do this. She’s in charge of the team, and  _ she  _ is the one who needs to fix this, and nobody else. She sits down. A cold metallic device touches the back of her neck, and she shivers. Could he really take memories from her? “I accept. What memory?” 

“Oh, I think I’ve found something incredibly important.”  _ I’m sorry,  _ Ulysses mouths when Elijah pauses. When he finally speaks, his words are like molasses. “The moment where you fell in love with Veronica.”

It’s like Elijah punched her in the heart. “What?” She asks, distant. 

Through the window, Julie stares at her with a mixture of shock and betrayal. Behind her, Christine raises her head, giving Lynn an unreadable stare. “Lynn?” Julie asks with a trembling quiet voice. “You’re in l-love with Veronica?”

Lynn can only nod. “I’m sorry. It’s only a crush.” The words sound hollow even to her. 

“If you don’t agree,” Ulysses-Elijah says, “there are other memories. You love deeply and widely, Lynn. I must take something as penance. But this will be a simple memory: a musical duet, a moment that truly touched your heart. You will remember the song you played, but not the significance of it. You will keep your feelings, but not the first moment you felt them.” 

“I agree.” Lynn grips the armrests of the sesat and tries to hold back the immense panic that makes her head spin. What if he takes too much, what if she forgets Veronica entirely, what if she stops loving her… “Take it.” 

“No!” Christine screams, but it’s too late, and it wasn’t her decision. 

Lynn blinks and forgets. Her breathing picks up. What did she forget? What has she done? 

The machine that Veronica is in starts humming, and lights on it flicker on. The booth that Lynn is inside opens. She stands and stumbles. Her head aches, and she would have fallen had Julie not steadied her. 

“I’m sorry,” Lynn says, because even if she doesn’t exactly remember what she’s done, she knows that everything has changed when she least wanted it to. “Julie, I wanted to talk to you about this when I figured it all out, but I was confused and lost, and I love you, and that will never change.” 

Julie helps her find her feet, but she doesn’t look at her. “We can talk about this later,” she says, voice tired, “but I need to think about this. For right now-”

In the tube, Veronica heaves a deep breath and opens her eyes. She is visibly confused. Ulysses, whose presence Lynn had forgotten, presses some buttons, and the tube opens. 

“What happened?” Veronica asks. Christine helps her get up, and Lynn wants nothing more than to embrace her too, but right now she doesn’t dare. It doesn’t feel right. “You’re crying, dear,” Veronica says, touching Christine’s cheek. “Lynn, you’re crying too. Why? What’s going on?” 

That’s true, and Lynn hadn’t even noticed. “I’ll explain later. Now, we need to get out of here.” But there’s still one loose end. “Elijah-”

“ _ Finally  _ gone,” Ulysses growls, tearing his earpiece out. The collar around his neck undoes itself with a click. “Manipulation and underhandedness, his specialty. Five months, that’s how long I’ve been tracking him, but he found me first.” He gives Lynn a serious look. “Not the only person I’ve been long searching for.”

“You’re looking for  _ me?  _ Why? I don’t know you.” 

Ulysses chuckles. “Non, that’s not exactly true. And relax, bounty hunter or assassin or whatever you may think, that’s not me. Answers, that’s my only goal.”

“Well, welcome to the club!” Lynn frowns. “Who are you, and what do you want-”

_ “Lucky  _ to Madame,” Arcade’s voice comes from her communication brooch. It’s both bad timing and a relief, a reassurance that their communications are working again. 

“I hear you.”

“We’ve just received a communication from a nearby vessel, a medical emergency.” 

Julie joins the conversation. “Arcade, Usanagi can take care of any emergency. We’ll be back in an hour, but she can start preparations.”

“No.” There’s an undercurrent of tension in Arcade’s voice. “No, I can’t send anyone over, and I don’t know what to do to get more info on the situation without creating a diplomatic crisis. Lynn, it’s the Legion.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhhh four months is a good time to update????? Sorry??????? This isn't even the original idea I had for this chapter, the idea came to me a few nights ago, and it was very much in line with speeding up the story and actually getting to main plot points. Also, all of the DLCs were supposed to kind of have their own thing, but all of those plots got smushed together into this one, with a hefty side of a Wonderland-esque vibe from TAZ, because that's what I've been listening to!
> 
> If you missed Arcade in this chapter, never fear, because he's not in this because he's in the next one a lot!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Since this is being written first in French and then translated into English, updates will not be very frequent!  
> If you want to chat more about this AU, come find me on [Tumblr!](https://owlaholic68.tumblr.com/)


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